


The Price of Fame (Never Been Kissed sequel).

by Poppins_you_flirt



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Arguing, Clowns, F/F, Friendship, Horror, Hostage Situations, Murder, Police, Serial Killers, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:24:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 122,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22800175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poppins_you_flirt/pseuds/Poppins_you_flirt
Summary: Never Been Kissed Sequel - Can Charity and Vanessa get their happy ending or will a murderer tear them apart?
Relationships: Cain Dingle/Moira Dingle, Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield
Comments: 30
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

_ The Price Of Fame _

_previously..._

_“_ _Vanessa_ _. What's wrong? What's happened?_ _”_

_The blonde looked at her, anxiety written all over her face._

_“_ _There's been a murder at the school…_ _”_

_Charity_ _'s eye's widened in shock, the hairs on her arms stood on end._

_“_ _A murder?….I don't understand_ _. W_ _ho's been murdered?_ _”_

_The blonde took a moment to steady her breathing. Looking up to_ _Charity_ _'s eyes, she spoke._

_“_ _Reed Stewart..!_ _”_

_\----_

** Chapter 1 **

Vanessa and Charity stood looking at each other. Neither knew what to say. They both thought back on months past, at how much hatred they had felt for the girl. But hearing that she was dead…..it just wasn't right.

“How?” Charity asked.

Vanessa shook her head. “I don't know. Faith told me to just get down there as soon as possible.” She closed her eyes as she tried to compose herself. “I think, I think she wants me to go on air tonight…” she finished, looking to the floor.

Charity closed the gap between them, putting her hands on the blonde's shoulders.

“Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, this is going to be your first report. It’ll be hard, especially seeing as you know….I mean, knew her….” Charity closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that were threatening to well up. She realised this was going to be a difficult test for Vanessa. The fact that the victim was known to her, it made her first assignment so much harder. Charity had to give the blonde her support. Together, they could get through this.

“I have to do this Charity. It's my job now.”

“Surely there's someone else that can do it?” Charity tried. “Someone less attached?”

Vanessa just shook her head. “No. I can do this.” She stopped, shifting her gaze up to meet the blonde's green eyes. “Will you come with me?”

Charity leaned in, brushing her lips against the blondes forehead. “Of course I will.” 

After a few moments, they separated, gathering the things they needed. “I'll drive” Charity said, picking up her bag.

“Ok. I'm ready.”

Opening the front door, Charity allowed Vanessa to pass before exiting herself, locking the door behind her.

\-------

Ten minutes later they arrived at the school. Word must have travelled fast as the school was now jam packed with police cars, paramedics and on lookers. Seeing as the car park was completely full, Charity parked her car at the curb outside the school building.

Getting out, Vanessa rounded the car and waited for Charity before they began the trek around the side of the school. Their hands sought each other out as they stepped onto the pavement.

“Excuse me ladies, you can't go any further” a man said, extending his arms in front of them.

“I ugh….my name is Vanessa Woodfield, I'm a reporter for sky news.”

A voice called out from behind the man. “She's with us” Faith said, walking towards them.

The man turned back to Vanessa. “Alright, you can pass” the man said, before turning his attention to Charity.

“Ugh, she's with me…” Vanessa told the man, taking hold of Charity's hand again.

The man smiled. “Alright ladies, go on through. My name's Jack Sugden. I'm the Detective around here” he said, dipping the tip of his hat. “If you need anything, just give me a shout” he finished before giving a quick wink.

“Thanks…” As they passed the Officer, they glanced at each other.

“Vanessa, I'm so glad you could make it. You need to prepare yourself for this” Faith said with a sigh.

Before Vanessa could speak, Charity jumped in first. “What's going on? How did this happen?”

Faith slowly started shaking her head. “I don't know. I really don't know how anyone could do this. And to people so young and innocent.”

“People?” Charity gasped. “You mean its not just Reed?”

Faith nodded. “There was a young man as well. I believe he was Reed's boyfriend.”

“Chris…” Vanessa whispered.

“Chris Martins?” Charity asked. Vanessa nodded. “Jesus…”

They began to walk a little closer to the scene. In the distance they saw a body sprawled across the floor. It was Reed. She lay there, completely naked, while people hovered above her.

“Oh my god…” Vanessa gasped, tightening her grip on Charity's hand.

Behind Reed's body, hanging from a football post was Chris, also completely naked. Vanessa couldn't look anymore. She turned to Charity, putting her head against her shoulder.

“What kind of monster could do this…” Charity said, bringing her spare hand up to caress the back of Vanessa's head.

Faith stood looking out at the bodies, trying desperately to hold on to her resolve. “Apparently they were last seen alive just over an hour ago. They'd been making out in the parking lot, so their friends left them. They're over there” she said, pointing over to the right. “They came back after they didn't show up at the park. The caretaker had already found the bodies.”

Vanessa turned back around. “How were they….” Vanessa started, but she couldn't finish.

“From what I've seen they were stabbed to death and then stripped.” Faith said while trying to steady her breathing.

Vanessa gasped, as did Charity.

Faith nodded. “Slut has been painted on her head with what I assume is her own blood.”

Vanessa closed her eyes trying to steady her erratic heart. She felt so sick. She knew it wouldn't be long before she was asked to go on air. She had to compose herself. She felt Charity's supportive hand rubbing up and down her back soothingly.

“Vanessa, I hate to throw you in at the deep end, but you know the news waits for no one. Do you think you'll be able to go live tonight?”

Vanessa opened her eyes and looked at her new boss. “I'll try my best…”

“That's all I ask.”

Turning around, Faith waved over to a guy. He came jogging over to them, camera thrown over his shoulder.

“I'd like you to meet Paddy, he's going to be your camera man.”

“Hi Paddy” Vanessa said, extending her hand.

He accepted her hand shake. “Hi Vanessa, it's good to meet you. I was a big fan of that article you did…”

The blonde smiled weakly. “Thanks. This is my partner…” she went on, squeezing Charity's hand.

“Charity, yea I remember” Paddy input. “Good meeting you too…” he said, shaking the teacher’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, Paddy” Charity smiled wearily.

“Ok, Vanessa could you walk with me please? I'll finish giving you the low down” Faith said before beginning to walk away.

“Sure.” She turned to Charity. “Wish me luck..?”

Charity lifted her hands and cupped the blonde's cheeks. “I love you and I'm going to be right here waiting for you, Ok?”

Vanessa nodded before Charity closed the gap and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

“I love you too” she replied, taking hold of Charity's hands and squeezing them. Savouring the feel of her warm clinch a little longer, she unwillingly let the hands drop as she followed her new boss.

As Charity watched the 3 of them walk away, she pulled out her mobile and dialled a number. 'Cain, it's me, turn on sky news. Never mind that just do it. You'll find out why in a few minutes. Ok, talk to you soon…”

Hanging up, she walked closer to the scene. Looking around she saw members of the school dotted around, comforting each other. Some spoke to the cops while other's strained their heads, eager to get a closer look at the bodies. She felt a tap on her back. Turning, she was greeted by another teacher.

“Zoe, Hi…”

“Hello Charity. I can't believe what's going on…” she signed.

Bringing her hands up, Charity began to sign. “I know, it's terrible.” 

There weren't many members of staff that could communicate through sign language, however, Charity had been able to sign since college. She never thought she'd need it, but when Zoe arrived at the school a couple of years back, she'd been able to put her rusty skills into practice.

Zoe had been deaf her whole life but through years of practice, she'd been able to pick up the skill of being able to read peoples lips. Which of course came in handy when not many people knew how to communicate with her through sign language.

“I was still in school with some students when we heard sirens” Zoe started. “Who could do this?”

Charity shook her head. “I’d only just left myself. Hadn't been home an hour when Vanessa got a phone call from her boss” Charity signed. “They were so young. There whole life ahead of them.”

They went silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts as they scanned the crowds of gathering on lookers.

“Is that Vanessa over there?” Zoe asked, pointing into the distance.

“Yea” Charity smiled, looking over to her girlfriend who was stood talking to Paddy. “She's just been promoted. She's the new face of sky news.”

“Oh that's great news Charity” Zoe signed. “You must be so proud of her?”

“I sure am” Charity smiled.

“Awful story for her to start on mind!” 

Charity nodded. “You're not wrong there…”

\------

Vanessa stood looking at the camera, a microphone in her right hand. Butterflies began to fly free in her stomach. Typical for her to have to dive right in there.

 _Nothings ever easy, is it_ she thought.

“You good to go Vanessa?” Paddy asked, his camera balanced on his shoulder.

Vanessa nodded, taking a deep breath. Paddy held up his hands and began counting down on his fingers. As he got to 1 he pointed at her, signalling she was live.

“I'm standing here outside Rentworth High School. A once ordinary, safe school to attend, but tonight that has all changed as a brutal attack was carried out on 2 of its students. The names of these 2 young students cannot be named as their families are yet to be notified. With no witnesses or evidence found so far, the reason behind this horrific attack is still to be obtained. Authorities have yet to issue a statement but our sources tell us that no arrests have been made and the murderer _could_ strike again.

This is the first attack to happen within our quiet little town and it causes us to ask the question...Is this a one off attack? Or is this just the beginning? We'll update you as it happens. I'm Vanessa Woodfield for sky news.”

“Got it” Paddy called. “Excellent work, Vanessa. I can see you're a natural.” 

She walked towards him, handing him the microphone. “I was so nervous. I thought I was going to trip over my own words.”

“Great broadcast Vanessa” Faith called as she walked closer alongside Detective Sugden. “Why don't you get yourself off now. If you come into the office tomorrow we can talk more.”

“Oh ok...should I not stick around and find out more details?” 

“No need, I'll be here a while yet, I can do that. Get yourself home.”

“OK, thanks Faith.” She breathed a silent sigh of relief as she turned to walk away.

Faith watched in her wake. “Night dear!”

As Vanessa made her way over, Charity was on the phone. “Yea, No, that's all we know. Ok. Ok, I'll tell her. Bye Cain…” Charity finished, lowering her phone.

“Hey babe, you were fab” she said, leaning into kiss the blonde’s cheek.

“Thanks. Shall we get out of here? I'm done for the night.”

Putting an arm around the blonde shoulders, Charity squeezed her. “Sure, let's go home.”

\-----

After arriving home, Vanessa had run a hot bubble bath, hoping to scrub away the lingering awareness of death. Deciding it was a good idea, Charity joined her, settling down comfortably behind her in the snug bath tub. Vanessa lay her head back on Charity's shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of her lover lightly running her fingers up and down her arms.

“What a day…” she sighed.

“Yea. I can't begin to imagine what Reed's parents are going through” Charity replied.

“I can't help but think about Kim too.” 

Charity's jaw clenched. “I know this is a really tough time but I can't bring myself to forgive her for what she did” Charity retorted.

“I know, babe” Vanessa replied, lifting her head and turning to look at Charity. “I'm not saying forgive her, but this is different. I know what she did was terrible, but to be honest, it helped make things right between us...in the end” she told her, squeezing the blonde's knee. “With this, things can never be the same for her. She's lost her cousin forever.”

“I know.”

Leaning up she kissed Charity's neck. “Love you” she whispered.

“I love you too” Charity replied, lowering her face to capture the blonde's lips. Moving her hands from the blonde's arms, Charity let them wonder across to her chest, where she slowly rubbed them in a circular motion over Vanessa's nipples. She did this a little longer before cupping the mounds and massaging them together. Vanessa replied to the touch by grazing her own fingers lightly up and down Charity's upper thighs.

Breaking the kiss, Charity looked down to her. “So when are you going to move in with me” she smiled.

Vanessa flashed her smile. The conversation they had through dinner, before the phone call, came flashing through her mind. “Well, I'll have to put my flat up for sale. I don't know how long it’ll take to go but I want to move in as soon as possible.”

“I want that, too” Charity told her, squeezing her breasts harder.

In response, Vanessa lifted her chest, hoping to encourage Charity to squeeze them more. It worked. Charity kneaded them harder, before taking hold of a nipple and tweaking it between her thumb and index finger.

“Mmmmm” Vanessa moaned. “I love that!”

Charity smiled, fully aware of what turned her lover on. “You love that huh?” Charity teased.

“I love it.”

“How about this?” Charity asked, running the fingers of her right hand down, over Vanessa's stomach. She let them dance around a little within the short hair below.

Vanessa moaned again, resting her head on the back of the bath, just to the side of Charity's.

Turning her head slightly, Charity engulfed the blonde's ear between her lips and began sucking lightly on the lobe. In the mean time, the fingers of her right hand dipped lower again, this time they brushed over the hard clit embedded at the top of Vanessa's folds. The blonde's hips thrust forward at the subtle touch.

“Bingo” Charity whispered in to her ear.

Using the tips of 2 fingers, she began a circular motion around the clit. Vanessa's body writhed beneath. Her lower body began to tense up as her lover’s fingers continued to tease her.

“You know how sensitive I get there…” Vanessa groaned, her hips thrusting up.

Charity smiled before licking up the side of her lover’s neck. Her fingers moved down once again and this time teased the opening of her centre. “You want me here 'Ness?” Charity asked.

“More than you can imagine…” the blonde told her. She opened her eyes and turned to look at Charity. “I want you inside me…”

Keeping eye contact, Charity let 2 fingers slide inside the hot tunnel. She watched Vanessa sigh deeply as her fingers probed deeper. They continued to watch each other, wanting the other to know how much pleasure they were receiving. Vanessa rocked her hips, assisting Charity in her motions below.

With her 2 fingers deep inside Vanessa, Charity rubbed the palm of her hand over the erect clit, extracting moans of approval from the blonde.

“Yes, keep doing that baby” the blonde moaned.

Her nails dug into Charity's thigh as her hip movement became more urgent. With each thrust up, Charity's fingers dug deeper between her walls.

“Ohh! Charity…” her calls became ragged. She could feel her walls tensing. She was so close.

Charity was completely aroused by the look of pleasure on Vanessa's face. Her lips were parted, her eye's barely able to stay open. Moving her other hand down, she held on to the top of Vanessa's left thigh, pulling her down on to her own centre. She spread her legs as far as she could and wrapped her feet around the front of Vanessa's ankles, keeping her in place.

The feeling of being bound made Vanessa even more aroused. She thrust up hard, grinding against the restraints as well as the fingers inside her.

“I know you're close, I can feel your walls sucking me deeper…” Charity said to her. “Come for me, Ness. I want to feel you let go.”

Vanessa growled. Her right hand came up and wrapped around the back of Charity's head, pulling her close. Her hips thrust harder as she ground hard against the palm of Charity's hand. She felt herself tipping over the edge. Tensing her legs, her hips continued to grind as an orgasm ripped through her.

“Charity, ohh God” she panted, her walls tingling in delight.

Charity continued to pump her fingers into the hot tunnel, massaging the contracting walls, keeping Vanessa on a high. She loved it when Vanessa's body tensed up at this part in their love making. It caused her stomach muscles to do somersaults.

“You feel so good Ness. So soft. So wet. God, I just want to eat you” she whispered, her lips so close to the blonde's ear. She knew her low voice made Vanessa go weak.

Still Vanessa's lower body twitched with pleasure. The fingers inside her never gave up on their assault of her inner walls.

“Uhh, Charity I love you so much” she panted, her hips grinding up, taking in Charity's slick fingers.

“Then come again for me babe” Charity whispered.

Opening her eye's Vanessa had an idea. Leaning up she proceeded to turn around, all the while keeping Charity's fingers within her.

“Wha…” Charity started, surprised by Vanessa's sudden change in position.

“Come with me” Vanessa said, as she rested herself on top.

With Charity's right thigh between her legs she ground down onto the fingers still within her. Bringing her own hand into the equation, Vanessa rubbed her finger's teasingly over Charity's throbbing clit before lowering them to the awaiting opening. Not wasting much time, she sank 2 fingers between the swollen lips.

Charity moaned, thrusting up to take them in more. Their mouths found each other and they sucked lightly on the other's lips. Their thrusts came in fast hard movements, water splashing over the rims of the bath tub. It wasn’t long before the teacher came undone, Vanessa following suit only moments after.

The blonde opened her eyes and watched her partners face. Complete and utter bliss was on display. Her mouth was open, her lips curling into a smile as she sucked in the much needed oxygen.

Once their thrusting subsided, Vanessa removed her hand from the hot grip of Charity's centre and brought it around the back of the taller blonde's head, just as she did with the other. Eventually Charity opened her eyes. They smiled to one another before sealing their love with a kiss. They both knew this is exactly what had been needed after the evening they’d just had.

\------

The next day, the story of Reed and Chris's murder was all over the news. Part of Rentworth High had been blocked off as evidence was still being collected. Classes continued however, as normally as possible.

Vanessa walked through her new office building in search of Faith's office.

“May I help you” a woman asked, sitting at a desk just outside her boss's office.

“Hi there, my name is Vanessa Woodfield, I've…”

“Ahh yes, Ms Woodfield” the woman began. Standing up she extended her hand. “My name is Joanne, I am Faith's assistant.”

“Hi, nice to meet you. Is Faith available?” Vanessa asked, grasping Joanne's offered hand.

“She's in there with Detective Sugden at the moment but I was told to send you in…” Joanne told her, moving closer to the door.

“Oh, Ok” Vanessa replied following the assistant.

Joanne knocked and waited for Faith's voice. Hearing it she opened the door. “Ms Woodfield is here to see you” she said beyond the frame.

“Send her in…” Faith told her.

Turning back to the blonde, Joanne moved out of the way. “Go right on in Ms Woodfield” she smiled.

“Thanks” Vanessa replied stepping into the room.

“Vanessa, thank you for coming” Faith said coming to greet her. “I trust you already know Detective Sugden...?” she said.

“Yea, we met last night didn't we” Jack said, standing up and tipping the rim of his hat.

“Yes, nice to see you again Detective.”

“Please, call me Jack. Take a seat here…” the Detective told her, pointing to the seat next to his.

As Vanessa made herself comfortable, Faith rounded her desk again and sat in her own seat. “So, Vanessa, how did you find last night” she asked.

“Umm, it was a bit surreal to be honest. I mean, I haven't really had any experience doing live broadcasts and the story I was reporting on...it was really difficult. Especially as I... knew her…”

“Yes, I wasn't aware at the time of the full history between the 2 of you. Had I done, I would have made sure you were really OK with doing it.”

Vanessa nodded. She didn't really know what to say.

“Are you alright continuing with the story?”

“I...I guess. Do we know anything else? Do we have any suspects?” Vanessa asked, looking to Jack.

Jack shook his head. “Unfortunately we don’t yet. We're beginning a round of questioning today with students, teachers and family members. We need to find out their backgrounds. Whether they had any enemies, that kind of thing.”

“Of course.”

“How do you feel doing some digging in the school again Vanessa?” Faith asked her.

“Ugh, I could. I left on pretty good circumstances so it should be OK.”

“Excellent. On the upside, your partner works there doesn’t she? Jack is heading over to the school now if you want to follow him.”

“OK.”

“Here's your badge” Faith said, handing an official lanyard over to the blonde. “It's kind of an _access all area's_ pass. Makes it easier for you.”

“Thanks” Vanessa replied, taking hold of the badge.

Standing up Jack tipped his hat to Faith. “It's been a pleasure as always Mrs Webber.”

“Keep me up to date.”

“Of course…”

As they left the building, Jack walked over to a parked police car. Getting out the other side, a policeman rounded the car. “Ahh Vanessa” Jack started “I'd like you to meet…”

“Ross?” Vanessa exclaimed as the man's face came into view.

“So you remember me then…” the man said, coming closer to the blonde.

“Oh my god...you've changed so much. And you're a policeman?” Vanessa said. They embraced as Jack looked on. “So you guys know each other?”

“Yea, sorry..” Vanessa started, “..Ross and I went to school together.”

“Ohh I see…”

Vanessa looked back to Ross. “So how have you been? I can't get over how much you've changed.”

Ross smiled as he looked back at his old school friend. They had both been part of the 'out-crowd'. He had always been fond of her though. Her intelligence, her friendly approach, her shyness and even her looks. “Yea” he replied. “Lost about 200 pounds” he laughed.

“I'll say, you look great” she told him.

“Thanks. You look amazing too. I have to say that article you wrote...WOW. I always knew you'd make something of yourself.”

“Thanks” she blushed. “It's only recently that my life changed for the better.”

“Charity?” he enquired

“Yea…” she smiled as thoughts of her partner came flooding into her mind.

Ross smiled. “She sounds like a real special woman.”

“She is…”

He watched her face glow, suddenly aware of the effect Charity had had on her.

“Sorry to break up the pleasantries you 2 but we have work to do” Jack told them. “Let's get rolling.”

Ross looked back at Vanessa. “Are you coming to Rentworth too?” he asked.

“Yea, I'm gona follow. Start doing some investigating of my own.”

“Great. We'll see you there then.”

“Ok, see you soon!” Vanessa replied, heading over to her own car, Ross watching in her wake.

At the school, Charity had just rounded the girls up on the field after doing some cross country running. They were all sat or laid panting on the short grass.

“So were you here last night when it happened coach?” Abbey asked.

Charity shook her head. “Not when it happened. I think I must have just left though. Hadn't been home too long when Vanessa got a phone call from her boss.”

“Did you see the bodies?” Mandy asked, receiving eww's from the other's.

“Not really. I didn't get too close.”

“I saw some stuff on the news” Nicola said. “And Vanessa...got to say coach, she looked proper fit on the big screen” she laughed, receiving a swot on the arm from Laurel.

Charity concealed a laugh. “Yea, she did that” she agreed.

While in their discussion, they hadn't noticed Jack and Ross approaching. “Ms Dingle?” Jack said.

Turning, Charity looked at the 2 men. “Yes?”

“Sorry to interrupt. We're doing some interviewing today, trying to get everyone's take on what happened last night leading up to the double murder. Could we borrow you for 10 minutes?”

“Sure, we've just finished.” Turning back to the students she smiled. “I'll see you all tomorrow.”

As they all got up, Jack smiled as he watched them head back over to the school. Turning his attention back to the teacher he smiled. “This is officer Barton, he'll be asking you questions. I have a prior engagement with the head teacher” Jack told Charity before bowing his head and backing away.

\------

Making it to her office, Charity entered and made herself comfortable behind her desk. Ross followed her in, closing the door behind him.

“So” Charity smiled. “How can I help..?”

“Well, first of all I'd like to say it's a pleasure meeting you. I was an avid reader of Vanessa's article.”

Charity smiled. “Thank you.”

“I was lucky enough to actually know Vanessa in high school. We were class mates.”

“Oh, you went to school with Vanessa? That's great. I'd have loved to have known her back then.”

“It seems you do” he laughed. “She hasn't changed much. Although she no longer has those cute little braces. And I haven't seen her wearing pigtails so far.”

Charity laughed with him. “High school. What an era…”

“Yea…” Ross replied, smiling back at the teacher. “So anyway, I have a few things to ask you about last night. Where were you between the times of 4 and 7pm?”

“I was here until about 6:15 and then I left for home.”

“I see. Can anyone vouch for you being here and for your whereabouts?”

She nodded. “Yes. I was over looking several students in detention. As soon as that was over I went straight out to my car.”

“Did you see anything? Something that could be used as evidence to this case?”

Charity thought for a second before replying. “No...I wasn't really paying attention to anything to be honest. I wasn't aware I'd be staying that late until I was asked to cover the detention.”

“Hmm, so what time do you usually make it home of a night time?”

“Well that depends. Some nights I teach extracurricular activities, sometimes I have the occasional meeting. It differs week to week.”

Ross brought his hand up to his chest pocket. Tugging out a notepad and pen he began to jot down a few lines. “OK” he said, looking back up to the blonde. “Moving on to the victims...you taught Reed Stewart, correct?”

“Yes that's right.”

“What was she like in class? Did she behave?”

Leaning forward in her chair, Charity brought her hands up and laced them on the desk in front of her. “Well, like a lot of students, more so the girls, she hated the thought of getting some exercise and of course breaking a nail” she joked, causing Ross to laugh. “But to be honest, she did as she was told for the most part.”

“I see” he replied. He got out of his seat and walked over to the window to his right. “I hate to open old wounds here but didn't she start all the agro that went on between you and Vanessa?”

Charity leaned back in her chair and sighed. She knew it wouldn't take too long for the police to bring that up. She'd lain in bed last night thinking about the last few months. It was true she and Reed had had a rocky relationship for the first couple of months...neither knowing how to approach each other. But when Charity and Vanessa had talked about it, they'd realised things had all worked out and no lasting harm had been done. The young girl had seemed very remorseful. “Yes, Reed did play part in the fake article that was printed.”

He looked back at her, his eye's creased as though in thought. “And how did that make you feel? Having those _lie's_ written about you?”

She held his gaze. She knew she had nothing to worry about because she had done nothing wrong. But all the same she hated having to divulge into her personal life with others. The article had been more than enough. “Well, obviously it was hard. Of course I knew I had done nothing wrong. The truth had just been twisted. I never blamed Reed for that though. She herself didn't know the full facts. She is just a kid after all…”

“She _was_ …” he corrected. He turned his body and moved closer to her. Perching on the edge of the desk he looked at her. “So how is your relationship with Vanessa?”

She creased her eyebrows. _What's that got to do with anything_ she thought.

“I ugh, I don't see what that has to do with the investigation...' she told him.

He continued to look at her a few moments longer before standing up straight and walking to the door. “While the killer is still at large, everything is under investigation. Especially those that have a history with her. Thank you for your time. We may need to speak to you again so please, don't leave the country...' he smiled before opening and exiting her office door.

She sat looking at the door before shaking her head. _Too much power and no idea how to use it_ she thought before getting up to begin her next class.

\-------


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As lunchtime arrived Charity settled herself behind her desk and began eating her sandwich. As she flicked through some paper work, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in…” she called.

As the door opened slightly, a jean clad leg was lifted between the door and the door frame. She creased her eyebrows in wonder at the visitor. “Umm, can I help you” she said.

A moment later a head with flowing blonde hair came into view. “Charity, you can help me anytime…” the owner of the leg answered.

“Ness…” Charity smiled as she stood up to greet her girlfriend. “Just as well I was alone in here!”

The blonde grinned. “Hey Ms Dingle, I've been sent here for bad behaviour…” 

“Is that so..? You better come in so I can give you a good spanking” the teacher said sternly.

Vanessa shut the door and closed the gap between herself and the teacher. Once close enough, they embraced. Parting, Charity smiled. “What brings my girl here...?”

“I missed you” Vanessa smiled.

“Really?” Charity replied, lifting an eyebrow.

“Well, that's 1 of the reasons” she grinned. “I've been interviewing the head teacher and some teachers this morning. They've told me nothing I don't already know though.”

Charity thought for a second. Sitting herself on the edge of her desk, she stretched her arms out to pull the blonde into her. “I've been questioned this morning too. Apparently he was a school friend of yours.”

“Ahh, Ross? Yea, he was with Officer Sugden this morning. First time I've seen him since school. He looks so different.”

“Oh? He was talking about you. I got the feeling he liked you…” Charity joked.

“Har har very funny” Vanessa said. “You saw the pictures of me back then.”

The blonde tilted her head. “They're gorgeous and I wasn't meaning back then.”

Vanessa raised an eyebrow. “You mean now?” Charity just smiled back. “Ohh..” Vanessa exclaimed. “You think he has a crush on me..?”

“I wouldn't blame him. You are undoubtedly the most attractive woman in the world today” Charity said matter-of-factly.

“Well, yea…” Vanessa laughed.

“You're in high demand today actually. The girls in gym were talking about the hotness of you on TV last night…”

Vanessa threw her head back in laughter. “Wow, I really must be. What am I doing here with you then” she joked, pretending to free herself from Charity's embrace. The teacher shook her head amused. Coming back to Charity's grip, the blonde circled her arms around the blonde’s neck. “Believe me babe, I'm more than in love with you. I'm not going anywhere” she assured her.

Charity winked. She knew that already but a little teasing didn't do any harm. “So what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“Well, I'm heading over to Daily Chance now. I want to speak to Rhona. I know you think it's a bad idea but I want to talk to Kim. At least to pass on my condolences.”

Charity smiled sympathetically. “I understand…” Vanessa smiled before leaning in to kiss her. “Are you sure you can't just hide under my desk for the afternoon?” Charity tried.

Vanessa smirked. “That sounds extremely kinky Ms Dingle…” Charity wiggled her eyebrows. “I'd love to, but I really have things do to. I also need to look into putting my flat up for sale. The sooner the better…”

“Good plan. I want you moved in as soon as possible.”

Vanessa grinned. “It's probably going to be a while before it goes. Stop that pouting missy. You know how long it takes them to do the paper work. I pretty much live with you anyway.”

“I know. I can't wait for it to be official though.”

“Me too” Vanessa replied as she leaned into Charity. They stayed that way for a minute or so, lost in thought.

“I should go…” Vanessa said reluctantly.

Releasing her grip slightly, Charity sighed. “Ok, are you coming to mine again tonight?”

“Sounds good. Maybe order a take-out?” Vanessa suggested.

“I'll pick something up on the way home.”

“Great. Hopefully this time we can finish it without any interruptions.”

“Here's hoping.”

Leaning in they kissed a final time before Vanessa headed to the door. “Have a good afternoon babe, work them hard.”

“Don't I always?”

Vanessa winked before leaving the office.

\------

Arriving at the Daily Chance, Vanessa made her way to her friends work station. When she got there however, there was no sign of Rhona. Turning she was about to head down the corridor to Eric's office when she heard some commotion coming from behind a door to her right.

Curious as to what was going on she walked over. As she moved closer she could hear hushed voices and quiet giggling.

 _Isn't this a stock room_ Vanessa thought.

Just as she reached for the handle, the door flew open. Still leaning towards it, Vanessa was hit in the side of the head by the hard wooden door. “Shit” she gasped, bringing her hand up to rub her head.

“Vanessa?”

“Rhona?” Vanessa replied, looking up.

“My god, are you alright? What were you doing?” Rhona asked.

Still rubbing the side of her head she scowled at her friend. “I heard something coming from in here and thought I'd see what it…” She trailed off as a young woman came into sight, just behind Rhona.

 _Busted_ came to mind when Vanessa saw the other woman's guilt ridden face. Vanessa's grimace turned into a knowing grin as she looked at Rhona and her ruffled clothes, then to the other woman.

Following Vanessa's gaze, Rhona looked back at the other woman. She blushed. “Ugh, Vanessa, this is Catherine, she umm, I was just, she's new…..I was just showing her around.”

Catherine began to nod her head vigorously at Vanessa. “Yes, Rhona was just showing me her ropes, I mean _the_ ropes…”

They both looked to the floor, mischievous grins on their faces. Vanessa smiled at them, amused. Rubbing her head one last time she stepped back. “Well, if you need a chaperone around the place then you've definitely found the right girl to help you Catherine. I'm Vanessa, nice to meet you…” she said, extending her hand.

“Thanks. Nice to meet you too.”

They stood around awkwardly for a few seconds. “So, Vanessa, what brings you here?” Rhona asked, wanting the subject changed.

“I was hoping to get Kim's number from you.” 

“Kim?” Rhona asked. “Why would you want her number?” 

“Well, after everything that's happened with Reed I just wanted to pass on my sympathy.”

Catherine put her hand on Rhona's shoulder. “I'll leave you 2 to it...call me…” 

“Oh, Ok...I will…” Rhona replied, watching Catherine walk away.

“Same old Rhona…” Vanessa retorted amused.

“Less of your cheek, I'm only human” Rhona told her.

The photographer walked over to her work station, closely followed by Vanessa and sat herself down. She pondered her thoughts for a few minutes before talking to the blonde. “You sure you want to ring her?”

The blonde rolled her eyes. “I've already had this from Charity, Rhona. It's the decent thing to do. All that stuff between us is history. Everything is great now. Reed's murder is so…” she stopped as images of Reed's lifeless body came flooding to her mind. “I know they were close. I just want to apologise.” 

“Apologise? Vanessa you have nothing to apologise for. You didn't kill her.” 

“No, I know that, but I can't help but feel sorry…”

“All the same Vanessa, remember what she did to you. She's a messed up lady. Don't let her fool you.” 

“I'm not going to…”

Opening a draw, Rhona pulled out an address book and began flicking through the pages. Finding Kim's number, she scribbled it down handed it to the blonde.

“Thanks Rhona.”

“No problem. Oh, I saw you on the news last night. You were great, not to mention super hot” she winked.

Vanessa rolled her eyes again. “You know that's not the first time I heard that today.” 

“Of course it's not. It was too obvious to miss. That undercover story really brought you on leaps and bounds. I'm so proud.” 

“Thanks.”

“Well actually, I was meaning I'm proud of myself” she stated, puffing her chest out. “You know, helping you with clothing and make up.”

Vanessa suppressed a giggle. “That's right Rhona...you did all the hard work.”

“Glad its appreciated” she winked. “So come on, how's the new job going?”

“I've hardly been in it a day, I don't know how I feel. I can tell I'm going be on my toes a lot.”

If she was honest with herself, she had the feeling this wasn't what she was meant to be doing. Sure the story she'd started with was a bit too close for comfort, but it wasn't just that. Her passion was writing. It's all she'd ever wanted to do. OK, so she'd been given the opportunity to continue that on a weekly basis, but it wasn't the same. Being on T.V… Only a few months ago, the shy copy editor Vanessa would never have dreamed about being where she is now. She had to give it a chance though. Who knows, it could grow on her.

“I've just come back from Rentworth” Vanessa continued. “I've interviewed a few teachers. Oh and I met up with an old school friend. He's a officer now.”

“Really? That's great. Bet he couldn’t help but notice how much you’ve changed from high school.”

“You know, from what I'm hearing, he liked me...even back then. Charity noticed it when he interviewed her this morning.”

Rhona sat forward. “Ohhhh, this sounds interesting.”

“What?” Vanessa asked.

“Well what you’re saying. Ross, who apparently likes you, interviewing the woman _doing you_...risky business.”

“Rhona! Can you not be so crude.”

“What? I only speak the truth.”

“For your information it's just hear say. And we all know how completely devoted to my girl I am. Plus, he’s a guy. There's no need for Charity to worry.”

“Sure we know that, but does Ross?”

Vanessa shook her head and stood up. “Thanks for the number..'

“Ok Ok, are you both coming out tonight?”

“Maybe. Oh hang on, not tonight, we're ordering take-out. Our meal last night was interrupted so, second time lucky…”

“Fine, forget the rest of us” Rhona said, standing up and rounding her desk. “I'll call Cain, see if he's coming out to play. Do you know what Tracy's up to?”

“Not yet, I'm going to call her on the way out actually. I need to tell her the good news.”

“The good news?”

“Charity asked me to move in with her.”

Rhona moved closer and embraced her friend. “It's about time too” she said. “You're always stopping over at one another's. May as well save some money and just have the one place.”

“I know. I'm so excited. I need to call the estate agents and get it on the market ASAP.”

“Good plan. Get yourself away. Tell Tracy to call me.”

“OK, have a good afternoon. Oh and remember to call Catherine…”

Rhona looked quizzically at the blonde. “Who? Oh...yea, Catherine. It's just a work thing you know. She's new…”

Vanessa nodded. “Of course it is…” she smirked, before walking down the hallway to the front of the building.

As she pulled up at her flat, Tracy was sat on the door step waiting for her. She'd rang her after leaving work and Tracy had already been on her way over. Getting out the car, the blonde began to walk over to her sister. “Why you waiting outside” she called.

“Forgot my key..” Tracy replied, getting to her feet.

“Ahhh. Well actually, I'm going to need your key back” Vanessa began, putting her own key in the lock.

“Huh?”

Vanessa opened the door and stepped into the flat before replying. “Charity's asked me to move in with her.”

Tracy smiled widely. “Way to go sis. I'm actually surprised it took you guys so long to decide to finally do it. You're more loved up then any couple I've ever met.”

“Patience is a virtue Tracy. It’s only really been a few months...'

“Blah blah. You know lesbians like to U-haul” Tracy joked.

Vanessa laughed and walked into the kitchen. “You want a drink?”

“Sure, a beer sounds good.”

Opening the fridge, Vanessa picked out 2 bottles then turned back to the living room. She made herself comfortable next to her sister on the couch. “I really need to ring the estate agents. I have a feeling it may take a while to go through everything. They kinda messed me around when I first moved in here.”

Tracy took a swig from her bottle and thought for a few moments. “You know, I think it's about time I grew up and started standing on my own 2 feet” she said.

Vanessa looked at her, her eyebrows furrowed. “I'm sorry, I don't understand what you just said” she joked.

“Har har…” Tracy replied. “I'm serious. I'm 22 now and I'm still living at home. I'm beginning to realise that's a definite turn off when guys ask to come back to mine. I've been talking with a mate of mine. We were thinking of renting a place. So, if you're leaving this one and fancy becoming a landlady to it?”

“Oh my god! Are you serious?” Vanessa asked excitedly.

“Well yea, I'm getting good work recently and in return good pay so I reckon I could afford it.”

Vanessa put her bottle down and leapt onto her sister. “Tracy you are a star” she said, kissing her sister's cheeks.

“Alright Alright, get off me you big lesbian” Tracy laughed.

“Oh this is great. That means I can move out soon. When do you want to move in?”

Tracy tapped her chin in thought. “Well I'm ready to go whenever. I'd have to run it by Lori but the real question is, when do you want to move out..?”

Vanessa's face was lit up like a bulb. She felt so excited at the prospect of moving out sooner then she'd thought. “I'll talk to Charity tonight. Maybe next weekend as its half term. It gives us a lot of time, and helpers for that matter. We'll need a lot of muscle and transport to get all this junk over to Charity's.”

“You're taking everything?” Tracy asked.

“Well some things. Maybe a few pieces of furniture. You can keep the couch and chairs, and I guess my bed. Charity's is a lot more...snug-able anyway.”

“Are you sure it's the bed that's snug-able?”

Vanessa wiggled her eyebrows. Leaning back she reached for her drink. Holding it up in between them she toasted. “To new beginnings and the end of an era.”

Lifting her bottle, Tracy clinked it against her sisters.

\-------

It was a little after 5:30 when Charity pulled into the driveway of her house. Vanessa's car was already parked in front of hers. She smiled, thinking about the not so distant future when Vanessa's car would be there everyday, on a more permanent basis.

Turning off the ignition she gathered the bags from the passenger seat and got out of the car. Making it to the front door, she fumbled around with the lock before opening it. “Vanessa, I'm home” she called.

There was no answer. Closing the door, she made for the kitchen. Just beyond the kitchen she saw the patio door was open. Figuring Vanessa was out by the pool she set the bags onto the counter and headed over.

As she got outside, she looked around. Everything was serene and quiet.

“Vanessa..” she called. Still no answer. Just as she was about to turn around, 2 arms wrapped around her midriff causing her to jump. “Ugh…'Ness, you scared the crap out of me…” she said, lifting her hands to caress Vanessa's arms.

Vanessa giggled into the crook of Charity's neck. “I'm sorry babe, it just seemed too good an opportunity to miss.”

Turning herself around, Charity brought her left hand up and held it on the back of the blondes head. Pulling her closer, they kissed softly.

“Mmm, welcome home.”

“Thanks, I come with lots of nummy treats.”

“Nummy treats?” Vanessa asked confused.

“Uh huh, they're like yummy treats, only they're nummy ones.”

Vanessa just looked at her girlfriend. “You know, sometimes I get worried about you.”

Charity winked before breaking their embrace and taking hold of Vanessa's hand. “Come on, dine with the psychopath.”

In the kitchen, they each helped set out the food and pour the wine. Deciding the night air was too lovely to miss, they ate outside.

It was half an hour later that they lay together on a sun lounger, looking up at the darkening sky. Vanessa lay off to one side, with a leg thrown over Charity's bottom half, while her fingers stroked up and down Charity's upper arm.

Charity in the mean time had her eyes closed, loving the feel of Vanessa's caresses.

“I think every night should be like this” Charity whispered.

Vanessa lifted her head and looked at her lover's peaceful face. She smiled, feeling completely over whelmed by how amazing her life was right now. “Babe? There's something I have to tell you” she started. Charity opened her eye's showing Vanessa she was listening. “I didn't ring the estate agent today.”

Charity's eyebrows creased. She immediately thought Vanessa had had second thought about moving in. “You didn't call? I don't understand, are you wanting to wait a little more?”

Vanessa suppressed a smirk at Charity's pouting face. It was so easy to wind her girlfriend up. “Well, it's just, I don't need to ring them. I've managed to find someone who wants to rent the flat from me.”

Charity breathed a sigh of relief before grinning. “You found someone?”

Vanessa nodded. “I was talking to Tracy today. She and a friend have decided to stand on their own 2 feet and move out of their parents houses.”

Charity squeezed the blonde. “So when are you moving in?”

“Well, I was thinking, what with half term coming up. Schools off...how about next Saturday?”

Charity's smile grew even bigger. “That sounds perfect.”

They grinned at each other for a few moments until Vanessa remembered she had something else to tell her. “I rang Kim today.”

Charity nodded knowingly. “How is she?”

“Well” Vanessa sighed. “She's in a real state. It was hard to understand her through the sobs at times. I get the feeling she feels isolated” she said, lowering her head.

“How do you mean?”

“I think after that fake article she did, people looked at her differently. They wouldn't trust her. I think that's still happening.”

“You can understand that. People realised how much she violated our privacy and twisted the truth. No one likes a liar.”

“I know that” the blonde said, a bit of agitation coming out. Seeing Charity flinch a little, she relaxed, realising she was over reacting a bit. “I'm sorry babe, I just wish things had been different. I hate seeing people upset.”

Charity looked at her sincerely. She loved how Vanessa wore her heart on her sleeve, but at the same time she knew how much pain it could cause her in some situations. She was too trusting at times; she let people in too easily. She hoped to make sure no one would ever hurt her again. Bringing her hand up, she lifted Vanessa's chin. “This isn't your battle to fight” she began, rubbing her thumb over the blondes cheek. “You've passed on your condolences...just leave it at that.”

“I know I should. I just...I can't help but believe that people can change, in the right circumstances. She told me something too. Something about Reed before she was murdered.”

“What was it?”

“Apparently she'd been receiving anonymous phone calls. They started happening about 2 weeks ago. The caller would talk to her about school and classes then say how much they wanted to see her naked.”

Charity's eyes widened. “Has she told the police yet? That's evidence. They can check phone records.”

The blonde shook her head. “She hadn't told anyone yet. I've passed it on to Faith and Jack this afternoon. They're looking into it.”

“Good.”

“That's not the only thing she told me though. Reed had said she felt she was being watched. Going to, during and after school. Apparently at the beginning of the week she'd been walking down the street, on route to Megan's and she had seen someone half shielded by a bush, watching her.”

“Well that's nothing. If it was a guy he was probably checking her out.”

Vanessa shook her head. “That's not it. The person watching her was dressed up like…..like a clown…”

Charity couldn't help but laugh. “Ah come on Vanessa. You didn't believe that did you? It sounds to me she's making stuff up as she goes along. Maybe she wants to sabotage your TV reporting career before it's even began. Feeding you false information.”

Vanessa thought for a minute. She knew it sounded daft but she had a strong feeling Kim was telling the truth. Maybe the killer was dressed as a clown. Maybe they wore a disguise.

“I just think we shouldn't rule anything out” she went on, trying to justify herself. “Not until we have someone in custody.” She looked at her watch. “Ohhh, it's almost 7” she said, getting to her feet, pulling Charity up as she did.

“Ness, where are we going?”

“The news will be on in a minute. I did a broadcast earlier reporting on Kim's information. They'll be showing it on the 7 o'clock slot.”

As Charity stood up, Vanessa pulled her into her body and kissed her. “I love you” she whispered, in between kisses.

“I love you too…” Charity replied, wrapping her hands around the blondes head, wanting more.

Completely lost in their kiss, they failed to notice a figure, concealed by a large bush at the side of the house, watching their every move.

\-------

Just over a week later Charity, Vanessa and a group of their friends stood outside Vanessa's flat catching their breath’s. They’d worked hard for the last couple of hours, transporting Vanessa's belongings from there to Charity's house. Vanessa looked around her flat one last time. She'd left the majority of the furniture for Tracy and Lori as Charity's house was more than well endowed anyway.

Charity came towards her, slipping her arms around the blonde from behind. “You ready to come home?”

Vanessa looked at her and smiled. “Let's go…” she replied.

Taking hold of each other's hand, they headed to the front door. Their friends were now sitting on the grass outside the door.

“Slacking on the job” Charity joked.

Cain jumped to his feet and saluted. “Sir, No Sir” he barked.

“At ease, Dawson” Charity told him.

“Thanks a lot for helping guys” Vanessa said.

They all began to stand up. “No problem. Dinner's on you two right?” Rhona asked with a twinkle in her eye.

The rest of the group nodded in agreement, looking at the couple.

“Ugh” Charity started. “Well, how about we all go back to mi...I mean…” she corrected herself, looking at Vanessa. “...how about you all come back to _our_ place for a barbecue?”

“Get in” Cain cheered. “A barby at the Dingle’s. You haven't had one in forever..”

“Sounds great” the rest of them answered, making their way to the cars parked by the curb.

Taking one last look at her flat, Vanessa smiled before turning back to Charity and walking to her car.

\------------

The BBQ had turned into a lively event when Nicola insisted on pumping up the volume on the music. Cain and Moira lay floating on lilo’s in the pool. Laurel, Nicola and Rhona were dancing on the patio while Charity and Vanessa sat snuggling on one of the chairs.

“You know…” Cain started. “…you guys should have a house party to celebrate.”

“Oh yes, I agree” Rhona added.

“Par-tayyyy” Nicola chimed.

Charity and Vanessa looked at each other. “What do you think babe? You want a party to celebrate your moving in?”

Vanessa nodded. “That sounds fun. It'd be nice for everyone to be in the same place. What with the Reed's killer still out there.”

“My mom won’t let me out after dark now” Laurel said. “She's worried the murder’s aren’t a one off.”

“Your old school friend's a cop isn't he Vanessa? Are there any new developments?” Cain asked.

Vanessa didn't know whether she should divulge any new developments with the group but a reassuring smile from Charity pretty much told her they were her friends. They should be told….for their own protection more than anything else. “Well a lot of this is speculation, but from what we've heard, they've arrested 3 men. Mainly for questioning, no one's been charged.”

“Sick bastards” Rhona retorted.

“They haven't been charged Rhona, they've probably got nothing to do with it.”

“Yes, well, whoever did this...they should be tortured, slowly. What they did to Reed was absolutely disgusting. No one should have to go through that.”

They went quiet for a few moments, all lost in their own thought.

“There is something else, which Kim told me…”

They all eyed her suspiciously before Cain spoke. “You spoke to Kim?” 

“Yea, I called her last week to pass on my sympathy. She told me Reed had been receiving anonymous phone calls.”

“Really? Do you think it's connected to her murder?”

“Maybe. I passed it onto Faith and Detective Sugden. Apparently the number's used were from a local payphone.”

“Typical.”

“Kim also said Reed had been sure she was being watched...at school and at home. There was something about a clown costume. She'd been freaked out by this person staring at her who was dressed like a clown.”

The other's looked at each other, eyebrows furrowing. “What...a clown just wondering the street in broad day light watching her?”

“That's what she said.”

“Do you think she's just messing with you?”

“That's what I said” Charity put in.

Vanessa looked at her. “I don't know for sure. But it's something to look into…”

“I _hate_ clowns with a capital H” Laurel said.

“I'm not a fan either” Vanessa replied, her shoulders quivering at the thought.

Charity tightened her grip around the blonde. “I didn't realise you hated clowns...?”

Vanessa nodded her head. “As a kid I used to be terrified. I remember going to the circus with my aunt when I was around 7. These clowns were throwing buckets of confetti over people in the audience. When they got to us and threw the contents of the bucket….it wasn't confetti anymore…”

“What was it...?” Laurel asked, intrigued.

“Ice cold water” Vanessa pouted. “I was mortified. My aunt had to carry me out, I wouldn't stop crying.”

While the others began to laugh at the blonde’s expense, Charity suppressed a giggle and nuzzled into Vanessa's neck. “My poor baby” she whispered. “I'll protect you from the white faced beasts…”

A smile played on Vanessa's lips, though the thought of a killer dressed as a clown scared her more than she could ever admit.

Their friends stayed a little while longer, until Charity hinted on she wanted some alone time with her girl.

“Jeeze Dingle, she lives here now. You'll be sick of the sight of her soon…” Cain had mocked.

“Well” Charity had replied. “Just in case, by some small chance that happens, I want to get in as much time now as possible.”

“Ugh, they're so gonna do it tonight” Cain had told the other's before leaving the Dingle-Woodfield house.

Now, as they finished putting away the last of the dishes, Charity opened a new bottle of red wine, grabbed 2 glasses and made for the couch. Setting them on the table she called for Vanessa to join her.

“Coming babe…” Vanessa called back.

A few moments later, Vanessa trotted into the living room and laid herself over the couch, her head resting in Charity's lap. Closing her eye's she let out a content sigh while a hand brushed through her blonde locks.

“Finally” Charity stated.

Vanessa opened her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. “Finally” she agreed.

They stayed silent for a good few minutes, both loving the peaceful silence around them.

“So” Charity started. “We have a whole week off. What do you fancy doing?”

“Actually, _you_ have a week off babe, I've still got to work.”

Charity pouted. “You mean you can't get any time off?”

“I don't see how. I mean I've only _just_ started this new job. I can't just take time off when I please, especially at the minute. They need my help.” She stopped talking, her thoughts drifting to the murder. “I can't believe there's a murderer walking our streets.”

“I know” Charity replied, rubbing Vanessa's scalp.

“I get worried when you go into Rentworth” Vanessa confessed. Her eyes locked with the teachers. “I can't help but think that you were there that night. The killer was at school with you. What if they'd seen you first?”

“Hey now, don't think like that” Charity told her. Her hand moved lower until she was cupping the blonde's cheek. “To be honest, I think the killer came in search of Reed and Chris, with murder in their mind. I think it was planned.”

“Maybe” Vanessa replied half heartedly.

Not wanting to see Vanessa get upset, Charity lifted Vanessa's head and stood up. Turning around she extended her hand. “Where are we going...?” Vanessa enquired, sitting herself up and embracing the offered hand.

“There's a bed over there in need of a christening…”

Vanessa laughed. “Charity, we've slept together in your bed loads of times.”

“Very true…” she replied, leading them to the bedroom. “...but this time, its official!”

Wine forgotten, Vanessa grinned as she followed Charity, kicking the bedroom door shut before she was swept off her feet.

\-------


	3. “For the happy couple”

Chapter 3

By 8 o'clock on Monday night, the party was in full swing. Most of the guests had arrived and were either chatting amongst themselves in the living room or dancing out on the patio. For the past 20 minutes, Charity had been in a deep conversation with Tracy Stamp about the school curriculum. Vanessa had been watching from the other side of the room and decided enough was enough. Excusing herself from 2 of her own newly acquainted colleagues at sky news, she made her way over to the gym teachers.

As two slender arms wrapped around her waist, Charity's words trailed off and she turned her head to the side.

“Could I borrow you for a minute?” Vanessa whispered in her ear.

“Of course..” Charity replied. Turning back to Tracy, Charity excused herself and followed Vanessa along the hallway to the bedroom.

“What's up?” Charity asked, closing the door behind them. As she turned, her lips were met with the blondes. She wrapped her arms around Vanessa's waist as the kiss deepened. Pulling back, Vanessa flashed a grin. “Hmm, sneaky…” Charity said with a grin.

“You've been talking to Tracy for ages, it looked heated so I thought you might need rescuing…”

“Ahh, you decided to be my knight in shining armour, did ya?”

“Something like that” Vanessa nodded.

“Good eyes” Charity complimented. “That woman doesn't know what the hell she's doing. I hate having to carry her.”

Vanessa shook her head. They embraced, rocking their bodies from side to side. “Chas still isn't here...should we call her?”

“She said she'd be here” Charity replied. “Bruce is giving her a really hard time.”

“I feel so sorry for her. Their relationship sounds so rocky.”

Charity nodded. “No wonder she turned to drink…” she replied. She had a feeling her sister's marriage wouldn't continue for much longer. “We should get back out there. We are the host's after all.”

“I guess. You know what our friends are like. If they saw us come in here, the whole party will be told we've come in for a secret romp.”

Charity laughed. “How right you are. One more kiss though.”

Leaning forward, their lips brushed together lightly before they parted and made their way back to the party. Coming back into the room, they saw Chas storm through the front door and stride towards the kitchen, her face like thunder. The couple shared a knowing look.

“I'll go talk to her” Charity started. “Do you want a drink?”

“Yea, a beer thanks.”

“OK.” Squeezing Vanessa's hand, the teacher let go and followed her sister's steps.

When Charity rounded the corner, Vanessa wandered further into the house. A hand squeezed her shoulder from behind. Turning she smiled as Ross grinned widely back at her.

“Ross, hey. Glad you could make it.”

“Thanks for the invite” he replied before leaning in and kissing her cheek. “I've just got off duty.”

“Poor you. Would you like a drink?”

“Not right now thanks. I'll get one after. How are you?”

“I'm great” she nodded. “In fact I've never been this happy in my life” she beamed.

“That's great Vanessa. You deserve to be happy!”

She nodded back. They stood in silence for a few moments, watching people around them. “So what's happening with you Ross? Are you married?”

“I was…” he replied. “Well I guess I still am. We're separated, for over a year now. Haven't spoken to her in a while.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.”

“Yea.”

They once again stood in silence, neither knowing what to say. As Vanessa shifted her gaze from the crowds of guests to the man standing next to her, she noticed him watching her intently. Beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable under his gaze, the blonde gestured towards the kitchen. “I think I'm going to get a drink. Charity was getting me one but she must have been held up.”

“Let me get that for you” Ross told her.

“Oh you don't have to…” she tried to protest.

He smiled. “I want to. What would you like?”

“Umm, just a beer will be fine. Thanks Ross” she replied, as he moved away.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Charity was consoling Chas. She'd learned that things between Chas and Bruce were at an all time low. He had been threatening to leave her and take the kids with him. Being a recovering alcoholic, Chas was petrified he would get sole custody and take them away for good.

“I'm sorry sis, I don't mean to be like this at your party…” Chas sobbed.

“Hey, shh, it's OK. It's understandable” Charity told her.

As she wiped a few tears from her cheek, Chas took a deep breath. “I'm just gonna sit out by the pool for a bit, get some fresh air…”

“OK” Charity replied. “I'm gonna get Vanessa a beer. She'll be thinking I've forgotten her..”

“I'll get that for you” said a voice from just behind the sisters.

Turning, Charity met eyes with Vanessa's old school friend. “Ross, I didn't see you there. Welcome to our home” she said, extending her hand.

“Thanks” he replied, squeezing the offered hand. “Nice place you have here.”

“Yea, thanks” she smiled.

They looked at each other for a few moments. Almost as though sizing each other up. Chas felt the unpleasant vibes between the two of them so excused herself and walked outside. It was Ross that broke the gaze first.

“Anyway, I told Vanessa I'd get her a beer” he said, picking up a bottle from the counter next to Charity. He looked back at her. “She figured you'd forgotten about her.”

“I hadn't forgotten. I got side tracked. I can get that to her..” she told him, reaching out for the bottle.

“No need” he said, backing away.

She was about to follow, when a hand touched her shoulder. “Hi Charity..”

“Hello Zoe” Charity replied. She looked quickly back into the living room where Ross was approaching the blonde, offering her the bottle.

“It's a lovely place you have here. I want your pool” Zoe laughed.

“Ugh, thanks” Charity replied. She broke her gaze from the living room. “I've lived here a while so it's all pretty boring to me now…” she signed.

Zoe grinned. “I bet it's not so boring with Vanessa living here now..” she winked as Charity smiled back.

“You're right. Things have definitely brightened up since she moved in!”

\-------

Out by the pool, Chas was staring into the calm surface of the water, completely lost in thought.

“May I sit” came a voice behind her.

Momentarily startled she looked up.”I guess” she sighed. “The seat’s not taken.”

“Thanks. I'm Paddy by the way” he smiled, perching himself on the edge of the chair. “I'm Vanessa's camera man.”

“I'm Chas, Charity's sister..”

“Oh, it's a pleasure meeting you then.”

They fell into a silence in which Paddy tried to think of something to occupy Chas's mind. He'd noticed her as soon as she walked through the door. She looked upset, angry infact. Since then he hadn't been able to concentrate on anyone else. He wanted to cheer the woman up.

“I couldn't help notice you looked u -u upset before…” he started, mentally bashing himself for his stutter.

Chas didn't reply, nor did she make any kind of gesture that she had heard him.

“Would you like to talk about it? Get something off your chest?”

After a few moments Chas turned to look at him. It was the first time since he'd come over that she actually looked into his eyes. He seemed pleasant enough. Attractive too, kind of. Maybe talking to him could help…

Over the other side of the pool, Vanessa and Ross had joined the others who were sitting having a drink and a laugh.

“So you knew Vanessa in high school ehh?” Nicola asked.

“I sure did..”

“Was she really a nerd?” Moira queried.

He laughed lightly. “Well, if she was a nerd, then I was a nerd. We were pretty close.”

He looked at the blonde and winked, which didn't go unnoticed by the others.

“Ohhh, did you guys go out?” Nicola said.

“No no” Vanessa replied quickly. “We were more like brother and sister…” Ross smiled weakly and nodded at her response.

“So what did you get up to?”

He thought for a few moments, thinking back on his school days. “We didn't get out much to be honest. Ohh, but there was this one time, I had these matches…”

Vanessa furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of what Ross was referring to. “We were sitting on this hill at school. It wasn't during school though, we just had a tendency to hang out there after school…”

*cough* SAD *cough* Nicola joked, causing everyone to laugh.

“Thanks Ross” Vanessa said, shaking her head.

He winked at her again. “I know, _nerd_! So anyway, I lit a match off the zip on my jeans…”

Realisation struck. “OH MY GOD” Vanessa exclaimed, her eyes widening as she remembered. “I totally forgot about that!”

What, what?” They all asked.

“Vanessa here, thought it was the coolest thing she'd ever seen and insisted I show her how to do it. So, after 10 attempts she still couldn't get the match to set fire.”

“Hang on, was she doing this on your zipper?”

“I wish” he joked.

“No, I had my own pair of jeans on…” Vanessa input.

“So, just before she was about to give up, she managed to set a match alight. She'd got the shock of her life though and instinctively threw the match away. It landed on the bottom of her jeans and started to burn through the material.”

Everyone began to laugh.

“I remember that” Tracy said. “You came home and went straight to your room. You didn't want mum or dad knowing you'd been playing with matches.”

“I don't think I've touched one since..”

Just then Charity and Zoe wandered over to the group. “Hey, what's going on” she asked, putting her arm around Vanessa.

“Hey babe” Vanessa replied, wrapping an arm around Charity's waist.

“Ross has just been telling us about Vanessa in high school. She really was a nerd coach…” Nicola exclaimed.

“Hey now, it could have happened to anyone” Vanessa pouted. “Thanks Ross” she finished, throwing him a playful glare.

“Don't mention it” he smiled.

“Oh my god, I can't believe you invited Mr Carmichael. He stinks” Nicola exclaimed.

“That's not very nice” Zoe said, reading the young girls lips. “He just has a problem with his sweat glands.”

“Yea, they're over active. He wears deodorant, it just isn't strong enough…” Charity added.

“Poor guy. Bet he finds it hard to attract the ladies..” Ross said.

“Something I'm sure you don't have a problem with” Rhona stated.

Ross laughed. “Well I'm having difficulty of my own in that department of late.”

“So you're single?”

“I am yes. I'm separated from my wife.”

“Oh, sorry..”

“Don't be” he told them, raising a hand. “We're both better off out of it. My job keeps me busy a lot of the time. Only change I see is the empty space in bed.”

“Poor guy. In need of some lovin’” Cain said.

He nodded. “And here I am surrounded by all these gorgeous woman..”

“Many if which happen to be gay…” Charity smiled.

He looked at her. “Really?”

“Well, except from Tracy and my girl here” Cain put in, squeezing Moira's shoulder. “Although” he started.”'If you want to partake in a little, owww” he finished, looking over his shoulder at Charity. “Did you just kick me?”

Charity furrowed her eyebrows.

“That was me” Vanessa told him.

“Hmm” he replied, narrowing his eyes at her.

Ross laughed at their banter. “So you're all gay or spoken for, well that's my plan out of the window then..” he sighed jokingly.

“Vanessa…”

Everyone turned to the source of the voice.

“Kim…what are you doing here?” Charity asked, fully aware she hadn't been on the list of invites.

Vanessa squeezed her girlfriends hand, hoping it would make her less vicious. “I'm sorry, I know I wasn't invited. I just wanted to give you this…” she replied, handing her a package. “It's nothing exciting, just a peace offering. I'm really sorry…for everything…”

“Careful Vanessa, it might be a bomb” Cain mocked from behind.

Vanessa turned and glared at the radio DJ. Turning back to Kim she saw the pain in her face. Instinctively she stepped forward and embraced her old work colleague. “Thanks Kim, it's very nice of you.” Pulling back she smiled warmly. “Would you like to stay for a drink?”

“No, I have to get going. Thanks though.” She turned to Charity. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your night…”

“We will” Charity smiled, wrapping her arm around Vanessa's shoulder again.

“Good, I better get going then. Have a lovely night everyone” she said to the group before beginning to walk away.

“Bye Kim” Vanessa called. “And thanks again.”

The others looked at each other. “Never thought she'd show up” Rhona said.

“Did you have to do that?” Vanessa said, turning to Charity.

“Do what?”

“Go all _stern_ like with her. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to come here.”

“She didn't have to. I'm just standing my ground.”

“Standing your ground? She's just lost her cousin, she's upset. I don't think you were in jeopardy of losing any ground.”

Ross watched the scene between the two unfold, while the others decided to get up and leave them to it.

“Vanessa, I know, I just don't want her ruining your night” Charity exclaimed, attempting to defend herself. “What's the package anyway” she asked, hoping to steer Vanessa away from taking the argument further.

Shaking her head Vanessa looked at the package in her hand. Peeling the tape from one side she opened the flap and peeked inside. As she pulled the corner away it was revealed to be a new name plaque for her office.

“That's nice of her…” Charity said, bringing a hand up to caress Vanessa's arm.

Vanessa looked at her and smiled. “Yea.”

Ross was still stood beside Vanessa. As he watched the 2 of them interact he sighed. They were in love and by the looks of it, he didn't stand a chance. “I'm just going to get another beer” he said bringing his hand up to squeeze Vanessa's shoulder.

“OK” Vanessa replied, as Charity watched him walk away.

As the party went on, everyone, apart from Laurel, Nicola and Moira were feeling rather drunk.

By midnight most of their friends had left. Feeling a little worse for wear, the last few of their friends decided to head out.

“Great party Charity” Cain chimed, embracing both Charity and Vanessa together.

“Thanks Cain, although Vanessa did most of the prep work!”

Cain nodded. “Of course she did. If you'd been in charge you'd of had us in allocated seats for the night.” He turned to Vanessa. “You'll have to do it more often.”

“Ugh…” Charity started. “How about we have the next one at your place” she said, looking around her un-kept living room.

“Hey, we offered to help clear up” Moira exclaimed, as she fumbled with the door handle. Clearly the 16 year old have been adding something extra to her glasses of coke that evening.

Charity and Vanessa just shook their heads. “It's OK, we got it…”

“What the..” Cain said, his back to the others.

“Cain, what's up?”

Pushing the door further open, Cain moved out of the way. Charity stepped closer to see what Cain was looking at.

“What is it?” Vanessa asked.

They all gathered around the front door, looking at a knife which had been stuck into the wood, keeping in place a dead rose and a note.

“For the happy couple” Cain read out. “I guess that's you two” he finished looking to Charity and Vanessa.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Moira said.

“God, I'm exhausted” came Rhona's voice from the hallway. As she came into view she was stretching her arms. They all looked at her. “What” she asked.

“Charity and Vanessa just received another gift” Cain told her, pointing to the door.

Rhona came closer for a better look. She squinted her tired eye's to read the note.

“Who did this?”

“No idea, we just found it” Moira said.

Charity had kept quiet the whole time, thinking of who might have done it.

“Hang on” Rhona said, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a small camera, turned it on and took a picture of it. “Just in case you need it for future reference.”

“I think this is just someone's idea of a stupid prank” Charity said, stepping forward, and removing the blade from the door. “That's gonna need filling” she said, rubbing the large dint in her door.

“But there's been people in and out of here all night. It's obviously just happened coz someone would have seen a big kitchen knife in the door.”

“Someone was obviously pissed. Maybe because they didn't get an invite” Charity said, trailing off.

Vanessa looked at her, aware that Charity had been thinking of Kim. “Don't start..” she warned.

They looked at one another, struggling to see things from the other's point of view.

“Are you guys going to be OK?” Rhona asked.

“Of course” Charity told her, taking her gaze from her girlfriend. “We'll see you all later.”

“OK, bye guys” Rhona said, kissing them each on the cheek, before heading out the door. Cain and Moira followed suit before Charity shut the door. Looking down, Charity turned the knife over in her hands.

“Not the friendliest of presents” Vanessa said, watching Charity scrutinize the blade.

Looking up, Charity smiled. “It's probably just some kids, don't let it worry you.”

Putting an arm around the blonde they walked into the kitchen and began to clean up.

\-------

A draft blew across Vanessa's naked back, causing her to shiver. “Mmmm” she moaned.

Reluctant to open her eye's, she reached down and pulled the blanket over herself more. With the same arm, she reached out for Charity. All her hand met was the other side of the bed. Beginning to wake up she opened her eye's slightly to see if Charity was there. It was still dark but she could see the bed was empty. Turning her head she looked at the clock.

03:55.

“Charity” she called, her voice low and groggy.

There was no answer. Putting her head back on the pillow she tried hard to fight sleep taking over again. Her eyes were so heavy but she wanted to know where Charity was. Opening her eyes again she lifted herself up and threw a leg out of bed, closely followed by the other. Walking over to the chair, she picked up her dressing gown and wrapped it around herself.

Now, half decent and half asleep, she wondered over to the other side of the room. Just as she was about to leave the bedroom a figure appeared at the door

“Shit” she gasped, jumping back.

“Ness?”

“Charity? What are you doing?”

“I just went to the loo, are you OK?” Charity asked her, running her hands up and down the blonde’s arms.

“I woke up and you weren't there. I just thought I'd come find you.”

“I'm right here. Come on, let's get back into bed.”

As they got back beneath the covers, Vanessa snuggled up to Charity. “You're so cold.”

“You better warm me up then” Charity replied, kissing her head. It wasn't long before both had drifted off to sleep again.

Suddenly, Vanessa jumped at the sound of the phone ringing behind her. “Ughh” she groaned, leaving Charity's arms and turning to the bedside table. Glancing at the clock she saw it was a little before 6 now.

Charity stirred, turning to Vanessa. “Who is it” she croaked.

“I'll tell you once I answer it.”

Picking up her phone, she brought it down to her head. “Hello?”

Charity lay on her back, her head facing the blonde but her sleepy eyes remained closed. They shot open however when Vanessa rose quickly from the bed.

“Oh my god” Vanessa exclaimed, panic in her voice. “Are you sure it's her?”

Charity sat up, putting a hand on Vanessa's leg. She tried to ask who it was but Vanessa began to get out of bed.

“Yes. No...I'll be right there. OK, bye.” Hanging up, Vanessa threw the phone to the bed and looked at her girlfriend. “There's been another murder…”

Charity stared at her, mouth agape. “Oh shit. Who is it? Is it another student?”

Vanessa shook her head. “It's Kim.”

For a few moments Charity sat, processing what Vanessa had just said.

_Kim_ _'s been murdered. We just saw her. I was so cold with her..._

“How?” she asked.

Vanessa was busying herself getting dressed. “I don't know yet. Her body’s been found in the park.”

“Which park?”

“It's just a few minutes down the road.” Putting her arms in a cardigan, she turned to look at the taller blonde. “Kim's been murdered Charity. I…” Her eyes began to well up as it sank in. Charity crawled across the bed, climbing out to embrace her.

“Shhh, I know. Give me a minute and I'll come with you.”

Stroking the blondes back one last time, Charity moved across the room and picked out some clothes.

“Do you think its the same killer?” Vanessa asked.

Charity turned to her. “I don't know, babe…”

\-------

Ten minutes later they arrived at the park. Police had already blocked it off, but Vanessa used her pass to get under the tape. Walking closer to where most people were gathered, they could see a body, laying on the bottom half of the parks slide. Coming closer still they saw her body completely covered in blood.

“Vanessa..”

Turning to her side, Vanessa saw Jack Sugden. “Jack, is it the same killer?”

Shaking his head slightly Jack replied. “We can't be sure yet. Multiple stab wounds and gross bodily harm. It could be a random attack but because of her family connection to the young victim last week, it could quite possibly be the same killer.”

“Who found her? Has there been any evidence found?”

“A young man found her while walking his dog. He saw no one else unfortunately. So far there's no evidence been found either.”

Vanessa leaned into Charity. “I can't believe it. We saw her only a few hours ago.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “You saw her last night?”

Vanessa nodded. “She called in at our house to drop off a gift. She didn't stay though.”

“I see. We'll need a statement from the both of you later.” Looking beyond the 2 of them Jack held up a hand. “If you'll excuse me ladies…” he finished before walking off.

Looking back at the body, they both felt awful. “There's a serial killer out there Charity. Who's next?”

Charity just stood. She didn't know what to say. Was it true? Was there a serial killer out there? If so, who indeed would be the next victim?

“Vanessa...Vanessa…” Faith called, waving her over.

“I better go see her.”

Nodding, Charity leant in and kissed her. “I'll be right here babe…”

\-----

By 10:30 that morning Vanessa wished she could crawl back into bed and throw the covers over herself. It had been a hectic morning and the day had hardly begun. She had made it to the sky news studios and was told her new office was ready.

Now, as she followed Joanne, Faith's secretary down a long hallway, her mind drifted off to Kim's family.

“Here we are” Joanne said, stopping at an open room. “This one's yours.”

Stepping into the room she was slightly taken back at the amount of space she had. It was double the size of her office at Daily Chance.

“I'll leave you to it..” Joanne smiled before doubling back down the corridor.

“Thanks..”

Walking over to her desk, she ran her fingers over the wooden surface. Rounding it, she gazed out of the window. _Nice view_ she thought, looking down onto the busy town streets. Putting her bag on the desk, she opened it up and pulled out the silver plaque. Her fingers stroked over it for a few moments before she positioned it at the front of her desk.

_Thanks_ _Kim_ _._

Reaching back into the bag, she pulled out a picture of herself and Charity, which had stayed there after she moved her belongings from Daily Chance. The picture had been taken at The Crane by Rhona. Charity was spooning her from behind. It was her favourite picture of the 2 of them. She set it down at the side of the desk.

As she sat in her black leather chair, she noticed a few notes piled on the edge of her desk. Picking them up, she read the first note.

_Welcome to your new office. Hope you like it,_ _Faith_ _._

Putting it to one side she read the next.

_Meeting in_ _Faith_ _'s room, 3:30_

_Oh great, maybe she has some developments_ she thought _._

The last was a letter. Ripping it open she pulled out the paper and began to unfold it.

As she read the few words written, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Her heart began to thump. She looked up, as though expecting someone to be there. She looked around but of course, no one was there.

 _'I did it for you...'_ she read again.

_What does that mean? Is this someone referring to my office?_

No, she knew what it was. This had to be from the killer. They were telling her straight. Kim had been murdered, and it had all been for her.

Starting to panic, she stood up and went to the door. Looking left and right along the corridor she saw no one.

_Oh my god, Oh my god, what should I do?_

A few moments later, her mind made up, she went back into the office and picked up the phone. After a few seconds, she was through to Faith's secretary. “Joanne, it's Vanessa. Is Faith there?” Listening she sighed. Apparently her boss had gone for an early lunch. “Ok, can you let her know I'm looking for her and…” she looked up to the door as a figure appeared. “Ross…” she said. “No, sorry Joanne, can you tell her it's urgent, thanks!”

Hanging up she walked towards the door again. “Thank god. You're just the person I need…”

He stepped closer, noting the panic in her voice. “Is everything alright” he asked, bringing an arm up to console her.

“No, no, it's not. I just read some notes that were on my desk. I think one is related to the murder…” She lifted her hand up which still held onto the piece of paper.

Ross took it from her, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. “When did you get this? Just now?”

She nodded. “I've only been in a few minutes.”

“Have you told anyone else?”

“No, I just tried Faith but she's out.”

He walked deeper into her office, perching himself on the edge of her desk. “OK, this is going to need putting with evidence. Maybe we'll get some finger prints. We'll need to find out who put this here.”

Vanessa walked over to her chair. Sitting down she shook her head. “Why would someone kill Kim for me?”

He looked at her. “I don't know Vanessa. Maybe.…after all this fuss with the fake paper 4 months ago, one of your fans took a dislike to her?”

“But Ross that was months ago. It's in the past. Killing her? Over something so pathetic? I don't….I don't know how some people can be so cruel” she replied, closing her eye's in an attempt to compose herself.

He leant forward, closer to the blonde. “Can you think of anyone who could do this?”

“Of course not. I mean sure she upset my friends and family and people who enjoyed my work, but to murder her? No way” she said, shaking her head. “No one I know could do that…”

He stayed silent for a moment, lost in thought. “Especially not Charity..” he said before he could stop himself.

Vanessa looked up sharply. “What? Charity, a murderer? No way. She's probably one of the least likely of people to be a murderer. She's so warm and friendly. She would never hurt anyone intentionally, never mind murder them!”

He nodded weakly in agreement. “I'm sorry Vanessa, this is part of my job. To get the facts. I was there last night remember. I couldn't help but notice the hostility between them still.”

Vanessa was dumbfounded. She couldn't understand how anyone could even think of Charity as a killer. “Ross, it's true they don't see eye to eye, and quite frankly you can't blame Charity for that, but Charity would never have harmed her. If anything she would just be verbally aggressive. But that's as far as she would ever take it.”

Again he nodded. “I understand that you would stand by her Vanessa.” He could see she was about to get verbally aggressive herself so he got up and held up a hand. “But just answer me this one question and then I'll leave it.”

“What?”

“Where was Charity between the hours of 2am and 5am this morning?”

Vanessa smiled. “She was in bed with me…”

“Well yes, I'd have guessed that” he said, waving a hand. “But, how can you be so sure she was actually in bed with you?”

“Huh” She asked questionably.

“Well, you were in bed with her, but you will have been sleeping. So, like I said, how do you actually know she was _sleeping_ too?”

She paused, thinking about his words. Looking back on last night she remembered waking up and Charity not being beside her. _She was at the toilet. She said so. What time was that? 4am? No, that can't be right. The times are just co-incidental. She couldn't have left the house, I'd have heard. How deeply was I sleeping? What woke me up? I pulled the covers up coz I felt a breeze….No. What am I thinking, this is ridiculous!_ _”_

Ross in the mean time was watching her face. She didn't need to say anything. He could see her expression change from complete certainty to disbelief. “I thought so..” he spoke quietly.

Vanessa looked at him. “No, Ross, she was I bed asleep and I was wrapped up in her arms. There's no way Charity had anything to do with this…” she said, though the first part was stretching the truth a little.

“It's OK Vanessa. We just need to look at this from every angle.”

He looked at the picture of Charity and her. A shred of jealousy ran through him.

“Don't worry Vanessa. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”

\-----


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It wasn't long before Ross left, taking the note with him. With no word from Faith yet, Vanessa decided to get an early lunch herself. She had to talk to Charity. It was stupid, she felt stupid for even thinking it but at the same time she had to hear from Charity that there was nothing to worry about. Pulling into the drive she stopped in front of Charity's car.

_Good, she's home_ _._

As she got out of the car and wondered over to the porch, the front door opened.

“Hey babe” Charity beamed. “You come home for some _sugar_ ” she joked.

Vanessa smiled weakly as she closed the gap between them. She leaned in and kissed Charity before replying. “I've had an awful morning Charity…”

Coming into the house Vanessa put her bag on the floor and sat herself on the couch. “I've been given my new office. There were some notes left for me..” She stopped for a second, bringing her hand up to massage her temple. “I think I received a note from the killer.”

Charity froze. “What” she gasped.

Vanessa nodded. “The letter said _I did it for you_..”

“I did it for you?” Charity mimicked. “Is that all it said?” The blonde weakly nodded again. “Flippin’ heck. Why would the killer be involving you?”

“How the hell do I know? I can't believe it. It's just unbelievable.”

Sitting herself on the couch, Charity began to rub her hand up the blonde’s thigh. “So someone says they've killed Kim and possibly Reed for you?” She said it out loud, but it was to herself more than anything else.

Vanessa looked up. She saw the teacher trying to process her thoughts. Every inch of her body told her not to do this. It was stupid, _she_ was stupid for thinking this. But she had to. She just had to know. “Charity?”

Charity looked at her thoughtfully. “Yea?”

“You know last night. I woke up and you weren't there? Where were you?”

Charity furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of why Vanessa would ask her again.

“I was at the toilet. I told you…”

“Yea..” Vanessa replied, trying her hardest to let that tiny bit of uncertainty disappear.

“Do you not believe me?” Charity asked.

“No, I just. I don't know why I asked. I knew already.”

Anxiety washed over Charity. Did Vanessa think she was lying? Did she think that she'd gone out and killed Kim last night? She could see Vanessa struggling with her thoughts. “Do you think I'm lying, Vanessa?”

Vanessa moved closer to her, reaching out to stroke her arm. “Charity please, I didn't mean for it to sound as though I don't believe you. Ross was just asking…”

“Ross?” Charity retorted, standing up.

“Yea, he came to the office just after I'd read the note. Stroke of luck.”

Charity put her hands on her hips. “Well that was handy, wasn’t it? Why was he coming to your office?”

Vanessa's brow creased. “I don't know. Maybe he came to talk about last night. What does that matter, the fact is…”

“Maybe it does matter” Charity interjected. “I mean he seems to be hanging around you a lot lately.”

“What?” Vanessa asked. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I'm talking about. It's beyond obvious he has feelings for you Vanessa. So what's he doing? Setting me up for murder to get me out of the way?”

Vanessa watched Charity in amazement. She couldn't believe how this had turned out. Did Charity think she liked Ross?

_Am I spending too much time with him? No, I've just got back in touch with an old school friend and we’re working on a case…_

“Charity, all I asked was where you were last night. It's got nothing to do with Ross.”

“But it does Vanessa” she replied, her voice getting louder. “He's put it in your head that I got out of bed and went in search of Kim. I went to the toilet for Christ sake!”

“Ok, that's all I asked.”

Charity shook her head. She felt hurt and angry. “How close did the 2 of you used to be?”

“Ehh?” Vanessa asked, shrugging her shoulders.

“In school, how close were the 2 of you?”

“He was one of my best friends. What's that got to do with anything?”

Charity moved away, turning her back to Vanessa she walked into the kitchen. “Did you ever go out” she asked, opening the fridge.

Vanessa stood up and followed the teacher in to the other room. She stood watching her from the doorway. “What? No. I never looked at him like that.”

Charity nodded in response. She took the juice from the fridge door then grabbed a glass from the bench. Pouring the liquid out, she drank some before speaking again. “And how about now?”

Vanessa looked at her dismayed. A few moments later she let out a laugh. “Charity, I'm _gay_. Ross is a _guy_. Even if I was single I wouldn't be interested in him like that.”

The teacher continued to look at the blonde. The jealousy running through her was clouding her better judgement. She couldn't help feeling a pang of resentment towards Ross. “You sure about that” she asked.

Shaking her head, Vanessa decided she'd had enough and went back into the other room. Picking up her bag she swung it over her shoulder and opened the front door. “You know something Charity; maybe you should dig out that article I wrote. You've obviously forgotten how I feel about you…” Stepping out she slammed the door behind her.

\-------

It was just after 4 when Vanessa was making her way back to her office. She'd just been to the meeting with Faith where, Jack, Ross, Paddy and 2 other reporters had also been invited.

Apart from the evidence given by Vanessa herself about the letter and the knife in her door last night, there had been no other leads on the killings. They all worried that Vanessa had perhaps got herself a stalker. The mere speculation of it made Vanessa very uneasy. Ross had offered to take turns patrolling the area, especially near her house. “To be on the safe side” he'd said.

This hadn't made Vanessa feel any better. She hadn't been able to concentrate all afternoon as the argument with Charity kept playing in her mind. It was the first _real_ argument they'd had. The fact remained that she couldn't believe Charity didn't understand how in love with her she was.

 _I'm gay for god sake, and I love her. I would never be unfaithful to her. Why can't she understand that? Well you did practically call her a murderer_ …

Walking into her office she went over to the desk and flopped in her chair.

_How could I ever think that_ _Charity_ _would do something like that? She's the most caring, generous, law abiding person in the world. God I love her…._

A knock at the door brought her back to reality. “Hey, thought I'd see if you fancied a chat?” Ross said, coming into the room.

“Oh, anything in particular? I was thinking of getting away early..” she told him.

“Ahh, making a quick getaway ehh” He smiled, settling himself in the chair opposite her. “I remember you would always be the first in the class and last to leave.”

She returned the smile, thinking back down memory lane. “Yea, I had to make sure I had everything done…”

“You were always the first to finish. I'm sure you had it all…” he laughed.

“Yea, yea..” she replied, rolling her eyes.

He looked at her cocking an eyebrow. “So are you OK? You seemed really….pre-occupied earlier.”

She nodded, not sure she should go into any details of why her head was somewhere else. “I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little on edge about this whole thing.”

He leaned forward. “Don't worry Vanessa. I'll protect you as much as I can.”

“It's very kind of you Ross, but I have Charity…”

Just as she said that, Charity was walking along the corridor, a bunch of tulips and a teddy in her hands to apologise for her over reacting earlier. Just before she rounded the corner she heard her name, followed by Ross's voice. She stopped in her tracks just out of sight.

“I know you do” Ross replied. “But I'm a policeman. I have a bit more to offer in the way of protection.”

Vanessa took a breath and pondered what to say. “I know you do Ross, and for you to be extra vigilant around our streets would be great. But Charity is my real protector. She's my rock. I can't….I can't even begin to explain how I feel about her.” Outside the office Charity leaned against the wall, listening to the blonde. “When we first met it was as though my life had been completed. Like the last piece of a jigsaw being fitted into place. She makes me feel whole. I love her more than I could ever say. We're soul mates.”

He watched her straight faced. “Wow, that was deep Woodfield. You've turned into a real soppy cow…” he joked.

The blonde laughed. “I have. She totally melts me.” She stared into space for a few moments remembering the last look they had exchanged. “We've had a slight disagreement today though. That's why I'm leaving early. I owe her an apology. I was a real arsehole.”

“Oh, you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head. “No thanks, its between me and Charity. I think I just feel a little scared what with the knife and note. I was irrational.”

Ross stood up. “Well, if she's any bit as much in love with you as you are with her, I'm sure you'll make up soon enough…”

“We will” Charity said, rounding into the office. “But I'll be the one apologising.”

“Charity?” Vanessa exclaimed.

Walking over to the blonde, Charity knelt down at her chair and extended the tulips and bear to her. “A peace offering?”

Vanessa showed off her trademark smile as she took the gifts from the teacher. Leaning forward they kissed lightly.

Ross backed away to the door. “I'll leave the 2 of you now. You have my number if you need me…”

Looking to him, Vanessa smiled. “Yea, thanks Ross.” As he left Vanessa shuffled forward on her seat and embraced the teacher. They squeezed each other, glad the argument was over. “I've decided I hate arguing with you” Vanessa said into Charity's shoulder.

“Me too.”

“I'm sorry Charity” Vanessa said, pulling back. “I don't know what got into me. Of course I don't suspect you. I was scared I guess.”

“I'm sorry too. I think seeing and hearing how close you 2 were made me a little uneasy. I know you love me. I love you too.”

“Good!”

Bringing her hand up to caress Vanessa's cheek, Charity smiled. “So what's the latest and why are you being involved?”

“Ugh, let’s go home, I'll tell you there.”

\------

Over the last few hours they'd talked things through, including the possibility of the killer involving Vanessa. Though Charity felt quite edgy, she didn't show it. She vowed to take care of Vanessa in every way possible.

Ross had been brought up again, but this time Vanessa had kissed away any lingering doubt Charity had. They'd spent the last hour in bed, making up - twice!

Now, refreshed and dressed they walked hand in hand on route to the Crane, where the rest of the gang were waiting. Vanessa had spoken to Rhona after her argument with Charity at lunchtime, so she already knew about the note. Rhona had told Cain who in turn had told Moira. So as you can imagine, it was the hot topic.

“I could have done with a nice, peaceful night in with you” Vanessa said squeezing Charity's hand.

“We don't have to stay long, babe. You know if we hadn't come out they would have come to us.”

“Then we'd never get rid of them” Vanessa finished.

Charity nodded. “It’s good that we keep together though. We all need our friends at a time like this.”

Agreeing Vanessa added. “I know we complain but we have ourselves a good bunch of friends.”

“But don't tell them that” Charity winked.

A few minutes later they arrived at club. They spotted the others at a far table.

“You want a drink” Charity asked.

“I’ll have a beer, thanks.” They kissed before heading in different directions. Reaching the table Vanessa was greeted by them all.

“Hey Ness, how are you?” Rhona asked, embracing her friend.

“I'm OK thanks..”

“Where's Charity?”

Cocking her head to the bar she replied “Getting some drinks…”

“How are the 2 of you now?”

Vanessa smiled, looking down at the table as she remembered their make-up session. It had been very passionate, yet soft and loving. It was as though they had reaffirmed their love. Make up sex was definitely awesome.

 _Maybe we should argue more often_ she thought.

Rhona waved her hand in front of the blondes face. “Your face tells me you've made up” Rhona laughed.

Vanessa nodded. “Twice” she said, a smile still playing at her lips.

Rhona laughed even more, squeezing Vanessa's shoulder. “I love how Charity's made you so open and happy. The old Vanessa would never have gone into details.”

“Details of what?” Charity asked, arriving with 2 beers.

“Of the 2 of you bumping uglies, twice today if I'm not mistaken” Cain shouted from the other side of the table. The others laughed.

“I never said anything about that. All I said was ''twice.'' The rest came from Rhona.”

“Thanks for offering, Charity” Cain mocked, holding up his empty glass.

“You're welcome” Charity smiled before putting her bottle down and taking hold of Vanessa's hand. “Now if you'll excuse me, I want to dance with my girl.”

With that, Vanessa put her bottle down and followed Charity onto the dance floor.

“So fucking cute” Tracy retorted as she picked up Vanessa's beer and proceeded to down it in one.

“Come on, let's join them” Cain said, grabbing onto Moira. The rest followed suit and made their way to the centre of the crowd.

Half an hour later they all came back to their table, sweaty and out of breath. “I think I'm getting old” Vanessa sighed as she wiped her brow.

“Nonsense” Charity said, pulling the blonde into her. “You just need to come back to my gym classes…”

Vanessa grinned, bringing her face closer to her partners. “I'd prefer some private lessons…” she asked before kissing her lightly.

Pulling back slightly, Charity grinned. “That can be arranged” she whispered.

Their lips met again, this time it was harder, with more enthusiasm. They forgot about everyone else. All they could feel was each other. The feel of the other's hot, sweaty body pressed up against them was making their lower stomachs begin to tingle.

“Get a room you 2” Cain said.

Charity looked at him and smiled. “We have one..”

“Actually Charity” Vanessa said. “We have several…” They smiled at each other knowingly.

“OK, eww” Tracy said. “Remind me never to sit on any of your chairs again. Or touch _anything_ for that matter!”

Everyone laughed, enjoying the joking.

“You want a drink?” Charity asked the blonde.

“I'd love one” Cain said.

“I wasn't asking you…”

“But if you're going….be a sport, coach” he winked.

Charity shook her head amused.

“I'll just have a beer.” Vanessa told her.

After getting everyone's orders, Charity made her way to the bar. “I'm just nipping to the loo..” Vanessa said.

Entering the toilets she went into the first cubicle. Unbuttoning her pants she sat down on the cold toilet seat. She heard the door open, the music from the club becoming louder until the door slid closed again. Her bladder gone shy, the flow of her peeing cut off, much to her disappointment. She'd always had a problem peeing with other people around.

Sighing, she pulled at the toilet roll and tore a few sheets off. After wiping she got to her feet, pulled her pants up and flushed the toilet. Once out of the cubicle she went to the sinks.

As she washed her hands she thought she heard someone whisper her name. Looking up into the mirror, she checked behind her. There was no one there.

 _It's probably the wind_ she thought, looking over her right shoulder at the large, slightly open window.

Shaking her hands she grabbed a paper towel and looked back in the mirror.

_You're so unfit! Maybe I should join_ _Charity_ _'s gym…_

“Vanessa…”

She span around. It was as though she'd had an electric shock. The hairs on her neck stood on end. There was no mistaking it. Someone had said her name. “Is someone there” she called.

Nothing….

After the initial shock and the silence afterwards, her heart began to settle.

_You heard someone come in before. It's probably one of the guys messing around_ _._

A smile played at her lips. Stepping towards the 6 closed cubicle doors, she bent down, cocking her head to look underneath the doors. There were no feet in any of the cubicles.

 _Standing on the toilet ehh? Too many scary movies for you…_ she chuckled inwardly.

Standing up straight she moved to the cubicle that was next to the one she'd used. Pushing it open she shouted “BOO!”

 _Damn_ she thought, looking at the vacant space.

She did the same to the next and still there was nothing.

“Vanessa” she heard again.

The hushed voice was low and raspy, chilling the blonde to the core. She no longer found the situation funny. She looked around the rest of the room. The lock being slid out of place on the furthest cubicle door brought her attention back to the cubicles. The last cubicle door was opened from within.

Her heart thumping, she began to back away slowly. No one had come out yet. Movement to her left caused her head to turn and look in the mirror. There, in the last cubicle stood a figure, dressed head to toe in clown attire.

“No” she gasped, turning on her heel and running to the door. She pulled at the big door but it didn't move. “Noooooo” she cried, her heart almost beating out of her chest. Seeing a lock under the handle, she slid it the other way. Just as she did this, an arm locked around her neck, pulling her back.

“No” she screamed. “Get off me. Someone help me..”

Her hand was still grasping the door handle so as she was pulled back, the door opened. The clown saw this and pulled away, releasing their grip around Vanessa.

The blonde wasted no time in fleeing the scene. Just around the corner she bumped into Charity.

“Hey you” Charity beamed. “The guys said you'd been…'Ness? What's wrong?”

“The killer’s in there. They grabbed me” Vanessa panted.

Charity looked up towards the restrooms. Moving swiftly, the teacher ran around the corner.

“Charity, NO!” Vanessa shouted.

Entering the toilets Charity was just in time to see a pair of legs attempting to exit the far window. Dashing over she grabbed them. “Oh no you don't you son of a bitch!” She pulled on the kicking legs. Eventually she won the battle and the rest of the body came back in. As the clown turned around, a knife gleamed under the light before it was slashed across Charity's stomach.

“Shit” she gasped, staggering back, clutching at her stomach.

Turning quickly, the clown climbed on the bin and slipped out of sight. Just then the restroom door opened and a swarm of people came in.

“Charity” Cain gasped seeing his friend leant against the wall, blood seeping through her top.

“I'm OK” Charity winced, though the growing patch of blood on her midriff said otherwise. People began to gather around, gasping and covering their mouths in shock.

“Where's Charity? Can I get through…” came Vanessa's voice. Upon seeing her girlfriend propped up against the wall, Vanessa's whole body shook. She felt weak at the knees, but her shriek could have been heard miles away. “Charity?? Oh god no!” Her eye's glistened as fresh tears poured over her lids. She ran to her girlfriend, putting her hand over Charity's, which was still held to her stomach. “No, this can't be happening” she cried.

“'Ness, I'm OK….it's OK..”

The clubs security came in, clearing those that were not involved out. “Charity, please don't die” Vanessa sobbed, putting her other hand on Charity's face.

Charity lifted a hand, which was now covered in blood and placed it on Vanessa's cheek. “Vanessa….I'm...fine….”

Those were her last words before everything went black.

\-------


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“I think she's waking up.”

Charity attempted to pry her eyes open.

“Charity? Babe?”

“Vanessa?” Charity asked, starting to become more aware of her surroundings.

“It's me Charity. Can you open your eyes?”

A few moments passed before Charity's eyelids began to flutter. The first thing she noticed was the blinding light which surrounded her. Instinctively she lifted a hand to shield her face. “Ugh, it's so bright.”

“Here, I'll get the lights.”

“Chas?”

“Yea, Chas is here too babe and Cain. We were all so worried when you fainted on us.”

“I fainted?” Charity asked, blinking her eye's as they adjusted to the dimmer light.

“Yea, do you remember what happened?”

Focusing on Vanessa for the first time she smiled. “There you are…”

Vanessa smiled back. Leaning forward she kissed Charity's lips lightly. “I'm right here..” she told her, stroking her hand through the teachers hair.

“Your face is bleeding” Charity said, lifting a hand to Vanessa's face.

“It’s not my blood, it’s yours. You reached out for me just before you passed out.”

Charity thought for a few moments. “I….I got stabbed. There was a clown, he stabbed me…” Her hand drifted to her stomach where she felt some padding.

“Yea” Vanessa replied. “Luckily it didn't go too deep. It's really just a flesh wound..”

“It's 6 inches long though” Cain added.

Charity turned to the other 2. “Hey you” Chas smiled. “How you feeling?”

“I've been better. I don't feel that bad though I guess…” she told them, attempting to sit up.

“Whoa, slow down there. You're dozed up to the eyeballs for the pain. You needed a few stitches” Vanessa said, putting a hand on Charity's shoulder, keeping her down.

“Yea, it's gonna to hurt like a bitch later on Dingle.” Vanessa glanced at Cain as he spoke.

“I can imagine” Charity replied.

They sat quietly for a few moments while Charity had closed her eyes. “Can I go home” she asked, her eye's remaining closed.

“The doctor recommends you stay, at least for tonight.”

“I hate hospitals. I’m not staying here Ness. Go talk to them for me..”

Vanessa looked at her. “I don't know...' Charity opened her eyes and gave her a pleading stare. Caving in, Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Ok, let me see what I can do.”

With that she kissed Charity's hand and left the room.

“You know” Cain started. “Call me stupid but how are you going to get home if you can’t even sit up?”

After a moment’s thought, Charity swung the sheet off her body. With her right hand she began propping herself up, while she protected her stomach with her left. Chas reached out.

“Hang on Charity. The doctors might not even let you go, so you shouldn't strain…”

“They will” Charity told her. “I know Vanessa, and Vanessa knows me. I'm going home…”

“She has her stubborn head on” Cain said, to which Chas nodded.

Slowly, Charity swung one leg out of bed, closely followed by the other. “See, piece of cake…” Though the pills were still doing their job, she could feel a dull pain in her lower stomach. She couldn't help but wince a little. There was a knock at the door, sprouting all of them to glance over.

“Hey, seems you've had an eventful night” Ross said, coming into the hospital room.

“Officer Barton…” Cain said.

“Hi. Wish I could say this was a social visit but I've been sent to question the victim…”

“Some scary fucking clown attacked Vanessa and Charity in the toilets at the Crane.”

“I heard that” Ross nodded to Cain. “I was hoping for something a little more _in depth._ What they looked like, did they speak, height….that kind of thing.”

“Does she need to do this now?” Chas asked.

“It would make things a lot easier, yes. While it’s all fresh in the memory” he replied.

“It's OK Chas, I'm fine” Charity assured her.

“I hear you got yourself a nasty slash.”

“It's just a flesh wound” she told him, getting slowly to her feet.

“I see..” He pulled out a notebook and pen. “OK, so can you tell me your version of events please Charity?”

Leaning herself on the bedside table, Charity recapped on what she remembered.

“Well, I'd gone for drinks in the club. When I got back these guys told me Vanessa was at the toilet. She'd been in there a while so I thought maybe she was waiting for me to go in.” A smile played at her lips as she remembered she'd gone in search of Vanessa for some 'private kissing' time. “So, just as I was about to go in, Vanessa came running towards me. That's when she said the killer was in the toilets…”

“So you went in?” She nodded. “OK, _why_ did you go in?”

“I….I don't know to be honest” she said, cocking an eyebrow. “I guess I wasn't thinking straight. I went in and saw a pair of legs hanging from the window. I rushed over and pulled them back in.”

“What kind of pants were they wearing?”

“They were dressed as a clown, what kind of pants do you think they wore?” Cain input sarcastically. Ross looked at him as though to say _I didn't ask you._

Charity closed her eyes, trying to remember. “They were silk. Bright colours. Just your usual clown costume attire to be honest.”

“OK” he said, scribbling notes down. “Then what happened?”

“After I pulled them back in…it all happened so fast.”

“Could you not tell if they were male or female?”

“I, I'm not sure. They were quite stocky but that may have been padding. They wore a clown latex mask. It wasn't face paint.”

“OK, thanks. Carry on.”

“Well, when they were back in the room, they pulled a knife out of nowhere and before I could do anything, they slashed it across here…” she said, pointing to her stomach.

“Did you retaliate?”

“No, I was in shock. I stumbled back.”

“And the killer…” he said, waving his hand in front of him “…just left?” She nodded. “I see” he replied. “That seems strange..”

“Strange?” Cain asked.

He looked at Charity. “Yes. It seems to me that the killer had a perfectly great opportunity to kill you there and then but instead slits your stomach, which to me seems like a distraction, so they could escape.”

Before Charity could reply, Chas interrupted. “Perhaps that's exactly what it was….they knew help would be on the way and didn't want to hang about.”

“Perhaps” he finished.

Charity's eye's narrowed. She couldn't stop thinking that for some reason, Ross thought she had something to do with the killings. She was about to challenge him when Vanessa appeared at the door.

 _Best keep it for another time_ she thought.

“Ross, what are you doing here?”

“Hey Vanessa, just checking up on things” he told her, which made the other 3 look at each other.

“Oh, that's nice of you.” She made her way to Charity. “What are you doing out of bed missus?”

“I'm hoping you're going to tell me I can go home…”

Vanessa put her hands on Charity's shoulders. “There are conditions. 1, you go straight to bed and stay there. 2, you take your pills. 3, you need at least 1 week off work after half term and 4, NO and I mean NO, hard exercise. So when you do go back to work, you're just going to have to shout orders…'

“I'm good at that” she smiled.

“Uh huh” Vanessa smiled. “For now though, I'm the one with the orders.”

As the 2 smiled at one another, Ross cleared his throat. “Ugh Vanessa, I'm going to need a statement from you about tonight's events.”

“Oh, OK..”

“How about we get Charity discharged and you can talk to Ross?” Chas said.

“OK” Vanessa replied. She turned to Charity. “Go easy OK? I'll see you at the car…”

“Don't be too long” Charity said, kissing her softly before being half carried out of the room by Cain and Chas.

Turning to Ross she sighed. “Nothings ever easy.”

“Not for you.”

She shook her head. “I thought I'd lost her tonight. When she fell into my arms...I thought she'd died.” Her eye's began to well up.

He rubbed her shoulder. “Hey, come on, she's fine.”

“I know. _This_ time. But what about next time? I can't help but feel it's my fault. The killer was after me in the toilets. They grabbed me….”

He nodded, still rubbing her shoulder. “I know. It's odd how, when face to face with Charity the killer didn't do more than give her a flesh wound.”

Vanessa nodded instinctively before rethinking his words and looking up. “Ross, you're not thinking Charity had something to do with all this, are you?”

He watched her reaction. He could see the pain his real answer would cause. No good could come of it.

“No. Of course not..”

\-------

An hour later, Vanessa stood in the kitchen in the darkness. The moon outside cast enough light for the blonde to make her way around. She stood draining the tea bags in 2 cups. Tossing its remains in the sink, she picked up the cups and headed to the bedroom.

Charity sat, her back propped up by the headboard and a few pillows. She smiled as Vanessa appeared. “Thanks baby” she said.

Vanessa smiled, placing a cup on Charity's bedside table, then made her way to the other side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Not bad. Drugs are still doing their job.”

Putting her cup down the smaller blonde got into bed next to Charity. She snuggled up to her, putting an arm around her shoulder. “I'm so proud of you” she said, kissing Charity's head. “You stood up to the killer.”

Charity shook her head lightly. “I don't know why I did it. If I think about it now it's like….why did I risk my life going in there alone? I figure I was trying to be a hero.”

Vanessa smiled. “You're my hero.”

Charity turned to her, a smile playing on her lips. Caught up in her own ordeal, she'd forgotten it was Vanessa that had been attacked in the first place. Guilt clouded her mind. “Vanessa, you're the brave one. I was stupid to leave you after you told me you'd been attacked.”

Vanessa looked at her thoughtfully. “I'm not going to say I wasn't angry when you went in alone to face them, but when I saw you, blood seeping through your top….I was so scared. I thought you were gona die.” Her eye's glistened as she told Charity her take on the events. “You reached out for me and said you were OK but then you collapsed in my arms…”

“You caught me?”

“Of course. We'd of had to include concussion to your injuries if I hadn't.”

“So you're _my hero_?” Charity grinned.

Vanessa laughed. “I guess I am.”

A few moments passed as Vanessa stroked her fingers through Charity's hair. “Did they hurt you?” Charity asked.

“Not really. I was washing my hands when I heard someone whisper my name. I thought it was one of you guys messing on. It wasn't until I saw the clown through the mirror in the far cubicle that I panicked.”

“Kim wasn't lying about the clown suit…” Charity stated.

“Yea. I ran to the door but it was locked. I screamed and hoped someone would hear me over the thumping music. Before I could open the lock they grabbed me from behind.”

“Oh babe, that must have been horrific…” Charity replied, rubbing her hand over Vanessa's leg.

“It makes me hate clowns even more now.”

“You said they called you by name? Do you think they came with the intention of finding you?”

Vanessa was silent. The thought that someone was watching her, waiting to get her alone made her feel so vulnerable. “I….I don't know.”

Charity squeezed her thigh. “I don't want to scare you anymore babe, but if you're being involved we have to suss out a way to keep you protected.”

“I know. I hate being so _in the spotlight._ ”

“I guess it’s something all famous people have to put up with. Psychotic people taking an unorthodox like or dislike to them.”

“I don't want to be famous” she told her. “I just want a quiet life, with you, in our home..”

They went silent for a little while as they got lost in their own thoughts. “I don't think I want to be a TV reporter.”

Charity thought on, knowing this hadn't been the easiest of times for her. “Do you think you should give it a little more time? I mean, you haven't started out on the best of stories. The main report has obviously been these murders, which you have a connection too.”

“I know.” Vanessa nodded in agreement. “But being on TV, it's not who I am. I just want to write. It's my passion, Charity.”

“I know it is. How about you talk to Faith tomorrow? Tell her about your concerns…”

Vanessa nodded. “Yea, I think I will.”

Charity lifted her hand and turned Vanessa's face to her. Leaning in she captured her lips. Soon their lips parted and tongues stroked over one another. They stayed like that for a while longer before pulling back.

“I love you.”

“I love you too…” Vanessa told her.

Dropping her head, she rested it against Charity's. It wasn't long before they succumbed to sleep…..tea forgotten.

\------

“No, I don't need you to come along, Cain. Yes, I am in bed” Charity said, standing up from the dining table and walking to the kitchen. “I don't know how you can hear me walking, my legs are sprawled over the mattress…” She listened to Cain's reply and laughed. “Perhaps wearing those headphones at work is doing something to your hearing…?”

“What do you think you're doing out of bed?”

Charity froze in the middle of the kitchen. She'd been too caught up in the phone conversation with Cain that she'd never heard Vanessa open and close the front door. She looked through the gap in the wall where an un-amused Vanessa stood, hands on hips looking at her.

“I KNEW IT” was heard on the other end of the phone.

“Cain, I gotta go.” Charity said ending the call. She held Vanessa's gaze, her face turning to that of a naughty school girl. “Hey babe” she said brightly. “You're back early. I was just getting a drink.”

Vanessa's gaze drifted to the table where a few papers were open. Charity's gaze followed. She looked at the evidence and blushed sheepishly.

“You wona try that again?” Vanessa said, closing the space between them. Charity backed away playfully. “OK, I may have had a little read of the papers at the table. But I feel fine.” She stopped backing up as her behind met with the counter.

Vanessa, hands still on her hips closed the remaining space between them. She stopped just in front of her injured girlfriend. A stern, yet, playful look was on her face. “You seem to have forgotten condition 1 already.”

“But I _was_ in bed” Charity protested. “I needed the toilet and my legs needed a good stretch. Plus, you're back early…”

“Hmmm, so this is my fault?” She took her hands from her hips and linked them around Charity's waist. “I just don't want you to hurt yourself Charity, or pull the stitching out.”

Charity raised her arms to Vanessa's shoulders. She pulled Vanessa's head to her and kissed her lips. “I'm being careful babe. I'm not making any funny movements. I _am_ a sports teacher remember” she smiled.

“I know” Vanessa replied, unlinking her right hand, moving it down and squeezing Charity's bum. “Buns of steel and all, but I'm in charge here, the doctor said so. You do as _I_ say.”

Charity raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin appeared. “Oh really? And what orders do you have in mind my tiny blonde rocket woman?”

“Well, firstly you can help me pack up some stuff. I'm taking you away…”

Charity's eyebrows creased. “Huh?”

“I'm taking you away for a few days.”

“I heard that. Where are we going and how have you got the time off?”

Vanessa pulled back out of the embrace and walked away to the bedroom. Charity followed in her wake. “Well, I did as you said and spoke to Faith. We had a loooong discussion and it made me see what I really want” she stated, opening some draws.

“And what's that. babe?”

“I'm resigning from sky news and picking up my new role as head reporter at Daily Chance…..with immediate effect!”

Charity could see the happiness in Vanessa's face as well as hear it in her voice. She was living the dream. She had so much pride in her partner. “And how have you managed the time off?”

“After last night’s ordeal, I've been given a few days to pull myself together, and take care of my girl” she winked. “So I thought we could get away from here. Go to my parents place in the country.”

Walking over to the smaller blonde she cupped her cheek and kissed her. “What are we waiting for then?”

\-----

Over the last couple of hours or so, they'd packed the essentials and made a few phone calls, letting their friends know of their plans. Rhona had been over-joyed that Vanessa was coming back to Daily Chance.

“We can be partners in crime” she'd said. “You do the write up and I'll get you the pictures.”

Once the car was loaded, they’d driven to Vanessa's parents’ house to get the keys. Since that they'd been driving nearly a couple of hours and had almost arrived at the country home.

“You OK, babe?” Vanessa asked, squeezing the thigh which her hand rested on.

“Yea. I think I need to take some pills though. The pains niggling.”

“We're almost there. 5 minutes, tops.”

“OK, I can wait” she smiled.

Watching the road, Vanessa's mind drifted back to the last time she's came to the country house. “Do you remember when I was undercover and I caught Rhona giving you her number?” Vanessa asked. Charity nodded. “Well, that weekend I was so upset. I had to get away so I came up here. I wished all weekend that you were with me.”

Charity smiled. “I'm sorry you were upset. It's your own fault though. You should have told me sooner.”

“Eh, hello? I was going through turmoil remember. You're lucky I told you when I did!”

“I'm very lucky” Charity laughed. “I was gona jump you that night no matter the consequences. I'm just relived you told me before that happened!”

They grinned remembering the night the truth finally came out. Since that day, well near about, they'd been so happy and in love. The first 3 months especially had been amazing. It had been the first serious relationship that either of them had been in. And from the way things were, the love they felt for each other, this would be the relationship that would last a lifetime.

Turning right, Vanessa drove the car up a private road which was sheltered by the large woodland tree's.

“Nice and secluded eh?”

“Yep, all the better for me to have my wicked way with you…stitching allowing ofcourse” Vanessa chuckled.

“Like you couldn't at home?”

“True” Vanessa agreed. “But out here it's a lot more….isolated.”

Charity continued to look out of the windows. All she could see was the woodlands. “How many other house's are up here?”

“Just my parents place. This is a private road!”

Just then the trees cleared and a petite cottage came into view. Vanessa pulled up in front of the garage and cut off the engine. “Here we are.”

“Babe it looks well nice.”

“Yea, it is. Come on, I'll give you the tour.”

Getting out the car, Vanessa went to the other side and assisted Charity getting out.

“I feel like a right invalid” Charity joked.

“Hey, enjoy being waited on while you can” Vanessa told her.

“Hmm, you have a point. Now be a darlin’ and fetch the bags will ya?”

Vanessa bowed. “Of course, my Queen” she replied before backing away to the boot.

\------

Later that evening they sat in front of the fire, enjoying some wine. Vanessa had her back propped up by the couch while Charity rested in her arms. They'd been discussing the ongoing story Vanessa would be writing about when she resumed her job at Daily Chance on Monday.

“I just feel I can be a lot deeper when I write. Being live on the news makes me feel so…..so….what's the word I'm looking for?”

“Exposed?” Charity suggested.

“Yea, I guess. At least I can get upset and show emotion when I'm writing in the privacy of my home or office.”

“I agree to some extent. It's a shame though. Denying all those people out there your sexy face.”

Vanessa giggled before kissing the back of Charity's head. “Yea, just as well you don't need a T.V. isn't it?”

“Yea. I get to look at you as much as I want.”

“Even first think in a morning” Vanessa mocked.

“Ahh, morning Vanessa. I love her” Charity laughed. “She isn't my favourite though.”

“No?” Charity shook her head. “So which version of me is your favourite then?”

“Well if you come hither I’ll tell ya.”

“I am _hither_ ” Vanessa told her, tightening her grip around her girl.

Charity shook her head again. Putting her glass down, she patted her thighs. “Come hither” she said again.

“You have a nasty cut down there remember. I don't want to hurt you.”

“You won't hurt me 'Ness, come on.”

After a moment’s thought Vanessa put her glass down. Charity lifted herself up allowing Vanessa to move. Once she was hovering above the teacher she raised an eyebrow. “So where do you want me?” Her voice was low and flirtatious.

Charity looked at her as she thought. Mind made up she carefully shuffled herself lower before laying down flat in the cushions beneath her. “First, take off your shoes…”

Vanessa shook her head amused. “You're going to milk this invalid pass aren't you?”

“It was you that said I should enjoy it. So...humour me?”

“Hmm” Vanessa replied before bending down to remove her shoes. She stood up straight and waited for Charity to give her next command.

“Good girl” Charity said. “Now take off the top…”

Grinning Vanessa did as she was instructed. She slowly unbuttoned her shirt, never taking her eyes from Charity's. Once the buttons were free, she pulled it off her shoulders and allowed it to slide down her arms. Without waiting for Charity to talk she reached around and unfastened her bra, letting that too slip to the floor.

“Showing initiative? I like that…” Charity smiled.

“I’ve always been an over achiever, Charity.”

“What do you think I want next then?”

Vanessa moved her hands to the top of her pants but went no further. After seeing Charity's aroused smirk, Vanessa allowed her fingers to undo her button then zip. Once loose, she gave a small push before they fell to the floor. Stepping out of them, she kicked all of the discarded garments to one side.

Charity continued to watch her. Seeing her girlfriend, standing there, giving into her every demand was making her very aroused. Her gaze drifted from the blondes face to her perfect round breasts. She longed to feel them…..to taste them. Realising Vanessa was waiting for her to speak she looked back into her eyes. “Good girl. I was admiring your beautiful body.”

Though the room was only lit by the burning light of the fire, Charity could see Vanessa blush. _There's still that shy copy editor lurking around in there_ Charity thought.

“Come down here, Ness, I wona touch you.”

Doing as she was told, Vanessa crouched down. She looked at Charity's stomach, unsure of where she should go.

“Straddle me” Charity said, patting just under her breasts. “It'll be OK, just don't sit down.”

Swinging a leg over Charity's body, she knelt above her lover, careful not to touch her lower stomach. Charity's hands moved to Vanessa's thighs where she massaged her flesh. “Kiss me..”

Leaning down, Vanessa took Charity's face in her hands, kissing her passionately. A minute later she came up for air. Their faces remained close, raspy breaths mingling in the space between them.

“I want you..” Charity told her.

“I want you to, but these stitches are delicate. If I rub your stomach it's going to be painful.”

Charity thought on. “Come up here” she said, nodding upwards.

It took Vanessa a second to figure out what Charity meant. Catching on, she shuffled upwards. Realising her knickers were still on she got to her feet quickly and removed them. Getting back on her knee's she swung 1 leg over and positioned herself above Charity's face.

She looked down to her lover’s hungry face. Her bum cheeks were cupped by Charity's eager hands. Feeling herself being pulled down, Vanessa's clit began to throb in anticipation. It wasn't long before she felt Charity kiss her inner thigh, her lips, one by one and finally part them with her erect, expert tongue.

She was already wet, she'd felt it after removing her knickers. The tip of Charity's tongue made contact with her throbbing clit. She gasped as her hips shot forward. Charity in the mean time decided she wanted to tease her lover for a while.

Sticking her tongue out, she proceeded to write the alphabet on Vanessa's clit. With every swirl, line or dot, she made sure Vanessa's clit felt as much as possible.

Vanessa's hips continued to rock back and forth. She wasn't sure what Charity was doing, but whatever it was, it felt wonderful.

While continuing her torment on Vanessa's centre, Charity's hands squeezed at her butt and pulled her closer…..harder onto her mouth.

“Ughh…..Charity, that feels so good….” She needed support so leant forward, putting her right hand on the floor, beside Charity's head.

They stayed like that for another few minutes. Charity eventually turned the hard strokes into a more gentle affair before Vanessa could slip over the edge prematurely. Moving her hands from Vanessa's bum, she stroked them up her back. Her tongue stopped moving.

Vanessa looked down. “Are you OK babe?”

Charity smiled before saying “I have an appointment with my favourite Vanessa.”

Before Vanessa could reply, Charity thrust her tongue deep into her core. The teachers tongue was going crazy inside her. It was as though Vanessa could feel her all over. She rocked her hips in response to the blondes thrusting. Before she could build up a rhythm however, Charity took her tongue from inside her.

A hand travelled down her spine, over her thigh and closer to her core. They stopped at her opening. She could feel Charity's erratic breath on her centre. Their eyes met. The need and hunger was evident in both their faces.

“Come for me Ness…” Charity said as she sunk 2 fingers within Vanessa's wet tunnel. Her mouth locked onto her clit where she proceeded to suck it sharply into her mouth.

“Fuck…” Vanessa groaned. She knew she was close. She felt her walls sucking on Charity's fingers, wanting them to go deeper. She locked her free hand around the back of Charity's head and pulled her closer. Her thrusts were slow as she felt her centre begin to erupt. “Oh god, I'm so close….yes.”

Charity never relented. She continued to thrust her fingers into Vanessa's tunnel and at the same time sucked on her beating clit. Her tongue played with it, flicking it teasingly.

“Charity, I'm….Ohh yes, Don't stop….Oh god.” She thrust down hard but her pace was slow. Her walls pulsated and finally her release came. She stayed at the height of orgasm as Charity continued to work her skilled mouth around her centre.

Eventually Vanessa fell forward, unable to keep herself propped up any longer. They both regained their breaths before Vanessa shuffled down and lay herself alongside Charity.

“ _That…_ ” Charity panted “…is my favourite Vanessa” she finished, leaning over to kiss the satisfied smile on Vanessa's lips.

“She's my favourite too” the blonde beamed.

xxxxxxxxxxx


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Vanessa stood in the kitchen, cutting up the vegetables for dinner. It was a lovely warm afternoon as the sun beat down on the cottage and streamed in through the windows. The back door was open, allowing the fresh air to breeze through the stuffy room.

Collecting the cut carrots within her palms, she tossed them into the steamer. Setting the timer, she put the lid on and went over to the oven to check on the chicken.

 _Another 20 minutes should do it_ … she thought.

As she shut the oven door, the sound of a child laughing reached her ears. She looked to the back door. This being private ground she thought it odd that a child's laughter could travel this far. She heard it again, the warm infectious laugh of a small child. A smile played at her lips.

Curiously, she moved to the back door. Looking out into the back garden, which was hidden by a large fence, she saw no children. Beyond the fence stood the tall trees of the forest.

_Perhaps a family went on a hike…?_

She heard the laugh again, followed by another child giggling. Wanting to make sure they were alright, she turned her head and shouted through to Charity. “I'll be right back, babe…”

Stepping out, she headed to the bottom of the garden. Reaching the bolted door she slid it free of its locks, pulling it open. Scanning the area in front of her she saw no one. She looked sharply to her left where the children's laughter sounded once more. She walked over, stepping over fallen twigs and branches in her path. She kept her eyes peeled, searching for any movement. She saw no one.

More laughter, this time from her right. “Hello” she called. “Is anyone there?”

No answer…

Following where she last heard the laughing, she looked back. The cottage was still in sight. She continued to walk deeper into the woods, the leaves and twigs still crunching under her feet. Suddenly, in the distance she saw movement. From what she could make out there were 2 children. They were playing on a swing which hung from one of the tree branches.

_I wonder if they're alone? There's no other houses for miles…_

She was getting closer, the children coming more into sight. They looked young, possibly only 7 or 8 years old. They couldn't possibly be here alone. Could they?

She wasn't very far away now. They had their backs to Vanessa so hadn't seen her yet. There were still no grown up's around. Maybe they'd left the kids to play on the swing?

Thinking about it, she couldn't remember a swing ever being down here. She'd come down here countless times with Tracy and her parents.

_It's probably just been put up…_

She looked back and stopped walking. The cottage was now out of sight.

_That's strange, I haven't walked that far, have I?_

Turning back to the children, she saw that only 1 child remained. She looked around but the other was nowhere to be seen. She resumed her walking. Not many steps to go. “Hey..” she said, only a few metres away.

The young boy remained on the swing and didn't turn around. He was no longer swinging either. Instead he just sat there, hands grasping the thick rope.

“My names Vanessa” she continued. “I live just up there…”

Still the boy remained still, showing no sign that he had heard her.

_“_ _Maybe he's deaf?_ _”_

Eventually reaching him, she passed by his side before stopping in front of him. “Hi” she said again. He looked up at her, acknowledging her for the first time. “I'm Vanessa” she smiled. “What's your name?” He continued to look at her, his expression plain and uncaring. Vanessa furrowed her eyebrows, trying to think of what to say. “Are you from around here?”

“He's going to kill you, you know?”

Vanessa looked at him, unsure if she had heard him right. “I'm, I'm sorry?”

The boy continued to look at her. He didn't say anything again. His gaze shifted to a place behind Vanessa. His expression softened as he laughed hysterically. The enchanting laugh she'd heard from the cottage had been replaced with a deep sinister growl. Shaking her head slightly she turned to see what was making him laugh.

Upon turning, she felt a wave of sickness wash over her. The blood drained from her body as her eyes landed on the source of the little boys laughter. A few metres away there was another swing. It was swung to and fro...by a clown. The clown that had attacked her that night at the Crane. It was right in front of her, watching her, laughing as it swung backwards and forwards. It lifted its hand and waved at her.

Vanessa's body had gone stiff. She was paralysed. All she could do was watch. The little boy was still laughing behind her. Suddenly, as the clown swung forward, it jumped from the swing and began to run towards her.

 _O_ _h shit_ she thought.

Summoning all the will power she had, she moved her heavy legs and began to step back. With every step, she became quicker. Turning around she began to run….

The clown was catching up. He wasn't far behind her now.

_God no…please! How did they know where I was? I have to get back…_

She ran hard, she ran fast. The house came into view.

_I can make it. God please let me make it…._

Her heart pumped so hard. Her throat was dry as she sucked in the much needed air. Her legs were becoming tired. She needed to slow down. Her head felt light.

_Come on, I’m almost home…_

“Vanessa” the clown said. He was so close to her now. “Vanessa, I have something for you.”

She could hear the clown’s fast steps behind her, closing in on her. She didn't look around. Instead she concentrated on making it to the cottage. She sucked in the air, gasping for breath. Bursting through the garden gate she didn't slow down.

“Charity” she screamed.

She concentrated on the back door. Just before she reached it, the door slammed shut.

“Nooo” she screamed, as her body pounded against the solid wood. She began to hit it with her fists.

“Please Charity, help me” she cried, tears streaming down her face.

She looked behind. The clown had slowed down. They reached into their pocket and produced a knife. It laughed. An evil, deep throated laugh as it closed in on the blonde. As it lifted the armed hand she screamed again. “Charity?!”

“Vanessa, shhhh, babe it's OK….I'm here.”

“No” Vanessa yelled, jumping up in bed. Her naked body was covered in sweat. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Charity was sat beside her, a supportive arm around her shoulders while she continued to gasp for air.

“I'm here babe” Charity continued to say as she rubbed the blonde's back. “It was just a dream. Come on babe, it's OK.”

“Charity…” Vanessa panted, her erratic heart beats slowing down. “It was so real. I thought they'd followed us here.”

“I know. it's OK though. Come on, lie back down.”

Letting Charity pull her back down and into her arms, Vanessa lay her sweaty head in the crook of the teachers neck. “Why is this playing in my mind so much Charity?”

“I don't know, babe. It's been a traumatic couple of months. When you sleep, you lose control, your mind drifts off and you think about things. Don't let it worry you.”

“But this is the forth night running I've had this same dream.”

Charity lifted her arm and let her hand stroke the blonde's neck, in hopes of rubbing away the tension. It was true. Since they'd arrived at the cottage on Wednesday, each night Vanessa had dreamt that the killer was there. Now, early Sunday morning, Charity held her lover close once again after another nightmare.

“Maybe it's happening because we're not at home. Perhaps when you get in your own bed, you'll stop having them.”

“I hope so…”

“Try get some sleep. It'll be morning soon and you’ve got the drive back.”

Vanessa yawned. She closed her eyes vigilantly, praying that she could get just a few hours of peaceful sleep.

\-------

When morning arrived they both awoke sharply, neither having been able to fall back into anything that could be called sleep. They showered, ate breakfast then began to pack up their belongings. They planned to make it home by mid morning.

The dream kept playing in Vanessa's mind, as it had done since the first night she'd had it. The nightmares had spoilt an otherwise wonderful break for her. They had been for walks where Vanessa showed Charity places she used to play as a child. They'd had picnic's and had even skinny dipped in the stream. With Charity's wound still healing they hadn't travelled too far, unless they used the car, but that didn't matter to them. They'd amused themselves indoors half the time, whether it was playing board games, poker or telling stories. They'd made love often, taking advantage of the isolated property.

Some part of them wished they could stay there, away from work and the whole hustle and bustle of things, but they also missed their friends and home life. The nightmares had been the biggest factor to tip the balance though.

Charity had suggested after they woke that Vanessa see a sleep specialist. Perhaps, if the dreams continued once they were home, they could suggest something for her.

Now, Vanessa stood at the kitchen counter, looking out into the back garden. After the first night, she hadn't wanted to go out there. Despite Charity's plea's, she hadn't caved. It was stupid, she knew it was stupid, but she just couldn't bring herself to go out there.

Her thoughts were cut off as Charity's slender arms wrapped around her waist from behind. “Hey there good lookin” Charity said, lowing her lips to Vanessa's neck.

“Hey yourself! You ready to go?”

“Yea, all set.”

“Ok. I'll get the bags to the car” Vanessa replied, turning in Charity's arms.

Charity looked at her thoughtfully. “You sure you won’t try going out there? I'll come with…”

Vanessa shook her head, cutting Charity off. “No, Charity, I told you…”

“I know. I just don't want this hanging over your head. Sometimes we have to face our demons.”

“And I've faced it remember. We both have, _in the flesh_ ” she said, leaving the embrace and walking to the other room.

Charity watched in her wake. Sighing she made sure the windows and doors were locked before following Vanessa to the front of the cottage. As Vanessa was about to exit the front door, Charity got a hold of her arm. Vanessa looked back in wonder. “Please don't get huffy with me. I just wona help.”

“Well you can help by understanding how I feel…” she replied turning back towards the car.

Charity held on and pulled her back. Taking hold of the back of her neck she pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Her tongue poked out, getting immediate access from Vanessa's mouth. They sucked lovingly on each other’s lips, all thoughts momentarily forgotten.

Eventually, lack of air caused them to end the kiss. Charity still held Vanessa close. Before moving she looked in the blonde's eyes. “Anymore attitude and I'll put you in detention for a week. Do you understand?”

Stifling a giggle Vanessa sighed and answered. “I understand.”

Reaching around, Charity nipped the blondes bum before retreating back into the cottage.

\-------

They'd been home a few hours now and were sat watching TV when there was a knock at the door. Within minutes of getting in earlier, Cain had called. He'd wanted to come over straight away but Charity had told him they wanted to unpack and have dinner first.

Getting up from the sofa Charity opened the door. “Hey guys” she said looking at her friends. “Come on in…” Her eye's landed on a man, standing behind Chas. “Paddy?”

Chas turned to Paddy the back to her sister. “Oh yea, there's something I have to tell you…”

Vanessa sat forward on the sofa, reaching up to squeeze her friends hands, one by one. As her eye's landed on Paddy she stood up. “Paddy, hey” she said, shaking his hand.

“Hi Vanessa, it's nice seeing you again.”

“Yea, likewise. Sorry our working relationship didn’t get a chance to get off the ground.”

They all made themselves comfortable on the chairs, Paddy perching himself on the arm of Chas's. Charity glanced at Vanessa as she sat down. “So what's this thing you have to tell me?” Charity asked.

“She and Paddy are having sex” Cain blurted. They all looked at him. “What?” Cain said, shrugging his shoulders. “It's true..”

“Why don't you let Chas tell her Cain” Rhona said, patting his leg.

Charity turned her attention back to Chas. “Chas?”

Chas took a deep breath. “I've left Bruce. We had a huge argument on Wednesday night. I was so upset Charity.”

“Chas, you should have called, we would…”

“No, no, you 2 needed that time away” Chas said cutting Vanessa off. “Anyway, at your party Monday night, Paddy and I got talking. I bored him with my life story.”

“You didn’t bore me” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Mhmm” she replied before looking back to Charity. “So, on Wednesday night I went to Paddy's place. We got to talking and…. one thing led…”

“Stop” Charity said, raising a hand. “We don't need details.”

“I know, I know. But we've got together and we're gonna fight for my kids. That jumped up arsehole isn't getting my kids, no way.”

“So you've been together since Wednesday night?” Both Chas and Paddy nodded. “I hope your intentions towards my sister are admirable Paddy” Charity said straight faced.

“Charity, I'm old enough to know things for myself and Paddy is such a sweet guy. Just wait till you get to know him.”

Charity thought for a moment, while Vanessa rubbed her thigh. “Does Bruce know about the 2 of you?”

“No, not yet…”

“I'd keep it that way, at least for now. It'll complicate things more, especially for the kids. If this goes to court, which I'm certain it will, you should come clean. Knowing you have support as well as being on the wagon will help your case.”

“I guess. You're a great guy aren't you Paddy?” Chas said, rubbing his leg. He blushed and giggled nervously.

“OK, I think I'm going to throw up…”

“You and me both man-whore” Rhona replied.

With that over and done, they all turned their attention on Charity and Vanessa. “So, how was your holiday? You do much? How's the stomach Charity?”

They all laughed. Typical Cain, getting right to it.

“We had a great time. We went for walks, picnics, swimming” Charity said, which sprouted a grin from Vanessa. “It was great of a night time to just lay in front of an open fire…”

“You guys had sex in front of it didn't ya?” Rhona asked.

Charity looked at her amused. “I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer.”

“Uh huh, they so did.”

“So what's been happening here? Any news or evidence been found?”

They all shook their heads. “No, it's been really quiet here. You 2 are the ones with the connections. No one tells us anything.”

“At least no one else has been hurt” Vanessa said, squeezing Charity's thigh.

“Yea. Maybe you scared him Dingle.”

“Oh yes, I'm sure my stumbling back, clutching my stomach must have chilled him to the core.”

Vanessa ran her fingers up and down Charity's thigh. “If they hadn't had that knife you could have kicked their arse, babe.”

Charity looked at her and winked.

“From what I've heard in the office….” Paddy started. “…they don't know if they are male or female.”

Charity and Vanessa nodded. “We couldn't tell. From what I felt they were stocky. It may have been padding though.”

“Have you guys thought about security?” Rhona asked.

“For what?”

“The house” she said lifting her arms. “If Vanessa really is being involved, maybe it wouldn't do any harm putting up a camera or an alarm, extra locks. That kind of thing.”

They looked at each other. Vanessa looked so vulnerable. “I guess upping the security wouldn't do any harm” Charity replied.

“Yea, thanks Rhona.”

“No problem. Just in case you know…”

They all went silent for a moment.

Cain sighed. “So are you going to get us a drink Dingle or do I have to squeeze one from my sock?”

\------

In bed later that night, Vanessa had her head lain in the crook of Charity's neck as she ran her fingers over the teachers upper stomach. 

“I can't believe I can't go in tomorrow! I mean I feel fine now….”

The reporter rolled her eyes. “Mhmm, go on about all you like Charity. You're not going in.”

“But what am I suppose to do all day? All week for that matter” the teacher moaned.

Vanessa propped herself up with the help of her elbow. She looked down at her lovers pouting lips. “You've got time off, rest up. That's all.”

“But I'm gonna be so bored…”

“You're a pain in the arse, you know that?' Vanessa said shaking her head.

Charity ducked a hand between their bodies and beneath the elastic of Vanessa's pyjama pants. Gliding over the short curls she dipped her fingers in between her lover’s lips. Vanessa inhaled quickly. “What did you say?” Charity asked.

“I said you were a pain in the…..Ohhhh” she sighed as Charity applied pressure to the little pearl above her centre.

“In the ohhh” Charity said amused. “What's one of those?”

Grinning, Vanessa leant over and hovered above Charity. Sliding her own hand down Charity's pants, she let her fingers caress the clit within.

“Ohhh” Charity moaned.

“You see?” Vanessa groaned. “You have one too…”

Bending down she moulded her lips with Charity's. They kissed deeply while their hands continued to play, tease and pleasure the other's centre. Vanessa was careful not to lower herself completely. Though Charity's wound looked better, she didn't want to risk the chance of it opening up again.

“I want you inside me…” Charity whispered.

Sliding her already moist fingers lower, Vanessa teased the opening. Sinking the tips of 2 fingers in, she let them circle around the awaiting tunnel. Charity thrust her hips up in want.

Vanessa looked down, smirking. “You want me babe?”

In response, Charity slid 2 fingers within Vanessa, who inhaled deeply. Her hips thrust down onto the intruding fingers. “Mmmmm, I want more of you” Vanessa said.

“I want more of you first” Charity told her. She pouted as the blonde withdrew her hand, but the pout didn't last long as she watched the blonde put her fingers in her mouth. She watched as she sucked on the digits. Taking them out, she lowered them into Charity's pants again and immediately sank the fingers into her awaiting channel. “Yes” she hissed.

They moved against each other, thrusting their hips, wanting to be filled more. Soon Charity gave in to Vanessa's last request and added a 3rd finger.

“Oh yes” Vanessa panted. “Oh Charity…”

They pushed their fingers deeper, rubbing them against the soft walls. Charity could feel Vanessa's tunnel sucking on her fingers with every thrust. She was close. Her other hand moved to Vanessa's bum where it proceeded to push the blonde harder onto her fingers.

“I wona hear you scream….” she whispered into her ear.

Vanessa's body was on fire. Her top and pants clung to her sweaty skin. “I'm gona make you scream louder.”

\-------

It had been a long day, and now at 10:45 Ross was ready to call it a night. There was one more stop he had to make though. On Thursday he'd learned from Faith that Vanessa no longer worked for sky news, instead she was going back to Daily Chance.

A little shocked, he'd planned on going to see her, but that had changed when he bumped into Cain at the supermarket and he'd told him that Charity and Vanessa were away.

Each night he'd patrolled the area, especially around Charity and Vanessa's house.

So that's where he was on route to now, before going home for much needed sleep.

Pulling up across the road from their house, he got out and headed over. There were no lights on and no sign of movement.

_I'm sure_ _Cain_ _said they were back tonight…_

Walking up the path, he quietly opened the side gate and continued his trek around the back of the house. Walking past the kitchen window he saw it was in darkness, so continued his journey over the patio. A soft glow came into sight from behind the French doors. He got a little closer, and looked through the slats in the windows. His eyes widened and he quickly pulled back as he saw the houses' occupants making love in bed.

He rubbed his mouth and thought for a second. He couldn't help himself. Already he could feel his excitement grow…..literally. Slowly moving forward, being careful to stay shaded by a nearby bush, he looked inside the bedroom.

As he watched the 2 woman thrust against each other he felt the stiffness in his pants. His lower body screamed with pleasure. Reaching down he undid the zip on his pants. Pulling his boxers down his erection sprung between the open zip.

He immediately clenched the solid penis within his hand and began to slide it up and down his hard shaft.

He heard a long moan from inside, followed by shouts of encouragement from within the room and watched as the woman's thrusting got faster. His pace quickened. He beat down on his erection, watching as Vanessa lifted Charity's top and sucked on her nipple.

“Fuckkk” he groaned.

He was gasping for breath. His pace got faster, he could feel the release quickly building up inside him. His body began to twitch.

“Vanessa…” he breathed.

\------

“Charity! Oh god…..harder! Yes” Vanessa shouted, her walls clenching around Charity's fingers. “Charity, I'm coming…”

Hearing Vanessa's shouts of pleasure, Charity's walls erupted and she screamed Vanessa's name. “Ness, don't stop, oh god, oh yes, fuck….” she groaned, her thighs tightening around Vanessa as her body jerked up.

Their arousal ran down their thighs, getting soaked up by the pyjama bottoms which they still wore.

Still Vanessa thrust down, not wanting the feeling to end. “Charity, god I love you…..ughh, Oh yea….I'm….”

Thrusting her fingers as deep as possible, Charity held her close. “Come mi amor….vendra de Nuevo para. Squeeze my fingers. Yes, that's right…”

“Ohhh, fuck, Charity, Charity..”

Charity's hand was soaked in Vanessa's pleasure. It allowed her fingers to slide in with complete ease, which added to the height of Vanessa's orgasm.

Eventually, Vanessa flopped to Charity's side, unable to take anymore. They breathed hard, completely exhausted by their intense love making.

“I don't know if I'll be able to walk around work tomorrow.”

Charity turned on her side, letting her arm rest along Vanessa's body while her hand stroked her face. “You will and you'll do it with a smile on your face” she exclaimed. She lifted her head slightly before placing a long kiss on Vanessa's sweaty cheek.

Outside, Ross corrected himself before making his way out of the garden and back to his car.

\------

Charity moved around the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her working girl. When the toast popped up, she put the slices on a plate before spreading the butter. As she moved to put it on the table, Vanessa came out of the bedroom.

“Breakfasts up.”

“Thanks babe, I'm starving” Vanessa smiled, leaning in to retrieve a slice.

Sitting down, Charity sighed.

“What's wrong?” Vanessa asked concerned. “Does your stomach hurt?”

“No. My stomachs fine. I'm just soooo bored..”

Vanessa cocked her head. “Charity, its 8:30, how can you be bored already?”

Charity waved her hand in the air. “It's the knowing I have nothing to do…”

“We've been over this” Vanessa warned.

“I know, I know…”

Clamping the toast between her teeth, Vanessa checked her bag, making sure she had everything. Happy enough, she grabbed the toast and looked at Charity as she chewed. “Well, to keep you entertained, how about you go out looking for home security equipment? Rhona had a good point last night.”

Charity nodded. “Yea, I guess I could.”

“Don't do anything with them though. No stretching or heavy lifting or anything like that.”

Charity raised an eyebrow. “Yes, mother.”

“Ha ha, you're hilarious” Vanessa replied sarcastically. “I'm just looking out for you. Now get the broom out your arse and give me a kiss…” she finished, leaning down towards the teacher.

“Have a good day, babe.”

“I'll try. Look after yourself, I’ll see you tonight.”

Picking up her bag, the blonde headed to the door. “Love ya” she called back.

“I love you too.” As the door closed, Charity looked around the empty room. “Oh well, best make the most of it.” Picking up the last slice of toast she got up and went into the bedroom.

\-------

As the song ended, Cain resumed his position in front of the microphone. “That was _little pieces_ by Gomez and you're listening to Cain Dawson. It's that time again where I get to sit back and let you guys do the talking. So come on, amuse me. Caller one, you're on the air.”

“Hello?”

“Hello there” Cain replied. “Who’s calling?”

“I'm, I'm just, a fan of yours” the caller said rather quietly.

In the studio Cain stretched his tired arms. “Ah it's always a pleasure to talk to fans. You're voice is a bit distorted though, can you speak up. What's your name?”

There was a pause on the other end.

“Hello..” Cain asked.

“Hello…” the caller replied.

“You forgot your name or something?” Cain laughed.

“No, I just don't want to talk about me.”

“Oh, alright then, so what is it that you want to talk about?”

“Hmm, something has been making me wonder..” the caller said.

“Yea…and what's that?”

“How deep I sunk that knife into your friend..”

Cain froze. There was silence on the air and all around him. He looked through the glass at his producer, she too was shocked. He didn't know how much time had passed until adverts on the air broke him from her trance.

“Line 1” his producer mimed through the glass.

Taking his headphones off, Cain took a deep breath. “Record it” he shouted, to which his producer gave the thumbs up. Picking up the phone, his shaking finger pressed the number 1. “Who is this” he asked. There was a cackle on the other end. “Listen you sick bastard…” Cain started, anger getting the better of him. “What do you know about my friend?”

“I know more than you can imagine pockey jockey.”

Cain's brow creased.

_Pockey Jockey_

“How much do you love your friends?” the caller continued.

“What do you mean? Did you murder those kids and Kim?”

“Would you be willing to die for your friends?” the voice said, ignoring his questions.

“What the fuck, who the fuck are you?”

“Open your email.”

“What?”

“Do it!”

Sliding his chair along to the laptop, he opened his inbox. “What am I looking for? I have so many…”

“You'll know which one.”

He shook his head, clenching his jaw. Moving the cursor down, he spotted an email titled _Clowning around_ the sender unknown. “Clowning around” he said.

The line went dead.

“Fuck” he scolded. He looked to his producer who shrugged her shoulders. Looking back at the screen he moved the cursor over the email. “If I get a virus I'll go fucking ape” he said aloud. As it opened, the page looked empty. He scrolled down until an image came into view.

“What the…”

He stared at the screen horrified. Staring back at him was a photo shopped image of 2 clowns throwing Cain's severed head between them. Underneath, it said…

_Your time will come..!_

\------

As Vanessa made it to Daily Chance she was greeted by many familiar faces. Everyone seemed over-joyed to have her back. Her old office was still available for her, which she was happy to get back.

As she settled into her chair she noticed a sticky note on her desk.

 _Eric_ _wants you in his office for 10! p.s. welcome back!_

A smile played at her lips.

_Just like old times_

“Oh my god! Have you heard?” Rhona said, bursting into the office.

“What? Rhona what's happened?” Vanessa asked standing up quickly.

“Apparently there's this hot chick just started today, Vanessa something…” she said before winking.

Vanessa relaxed and put a hand to her chest. “Jeeze Rhona, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Keeps the heart young. So, you glad you're back?”

“Yea” Vanessa replied, sitting back in her chair. “Feels like I never left.”

“Well, in fairness you were only gone a few weeks.”

“It was long enough for me thanks.”

“Have you got a story yet?”

“Since knowing I was coming back, I've known what I would be writing. I still want to be part of the murder investigation. I can express myself more on paper.”

Rhona nodded. “I have your back. I'll be there with my trusty camera.”

“Thanks Rhona.”

“Anytime. I have to go now, heading over to that new art gallery. Dylan's doing the write up.”

“Oh yea, I want to take Charity there.”

“I'll tell you if it's worth it later. See you soon Ness.”

“Bye.”

She looked at her watch. 9:40.

_Time for a coffee before I see_ _Eric_ _._

\-------

Since Vanessa left, Charity had jumped in the shower and got ready for the long day ahead. Just as she was about to head out the door the phone rang. Cain had been frantic on the other end, telling Charity he was on his way around. That had been 10 minutes ago and now, Charity watched from the porch as Cain came to a holt outside the house.

“Cain, what's wrong?” Charity asked as her friend approached.

“We need to talk” Cain said, walking into the house. Following, Charity closed the door behind her. “I just got a call from this phantom killer….ON AIR!”

“They rang your show?” Charity asked, eyes widening.

“Yes, live to millions. We cut him off but not before he said _“_ _I wonder how deep I sunk my knife into your friend_ _.””_

Charity looked at him in disbelief. Her hand instinctively reached up to her stomach. “I don't understand. Why would they ring you?”

“Oh here's the sick part” Cain said, retrieving a piece of paper from his pocket. Unfolding it, he handed it to Charity.

“They sent you this?”

“Yea, to my email. The police have been around. They're tracing the call and the email address. Fuck, who is this dick?”

Charity wondered over to the couch and sat down. “I don't know Cain. They seemed to have it in for all of us though.”

“They called me a pockey jockey…”

Charity looked up at her confused. “Pockey jockey? Wasn't that what people used to call you in school?”

“I know! I haven't been called it in years.”

“So have you spoken to the police?”

“Yea, that Sugden dude questioned me.”

“Have you spoken to Vanessa?”

“No, I've just told you. I only just got away from the studio.”

“Ok. I'll tell her tonight. It's her first day back. I don't want to spoil it for her.”

Cain sprawled himself on the couch. “Looks as though it's not just Vanessa they're after.”

Charity nodded in agreement. A thought kept playing in her mind, as it had done since the night she was stabbed.

_Why didn't they kill me? It would have been just as easy to sink the knife deep into my gut or even heart as it had been to lightly slash it across my stomach. So why didn't they?_

\-------


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

Knock Knock…

Her attention interrupted, Vanessa looked up from her laptop. “Ross…you found me” she grinned.

The policeman stood at the door grinning at her. “You're like a damn yo-yo.”

She laughed. “I plan on sticking around here for a while.”

“Good. You mind if I come in or am I interrupting?”

“No, no, come in. I was just about to wrap things up here. I've left Charity at home, _bored_ so god knows what she's up to.”

Ross came further into the office, making himself comfortable in the chair opposite. “A loose cannon ehh?”

She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. She just loves her job. Time off for her is like a kick in the teeth. She's so passionate about her work.”

“Yea, you can kinda tell that…” he nodded.

Vanessa grinned as she thought about what Charity could have got up to that day.

_She's probably met up with_ _Cain_ _. Perhaps they went shopping together for some home security._

“So how was your time away?” Ross asked.

“It was great. Just what the doctor ordered. We needed the time to, I don't know, regroup? This murder investigation seems to be getting out of hand.”

He nodded. “I know what you mean. This guy really knows how to clean up after himself. No finger prints, hair samples, blood stains….nothing. It’s starting to really piss me off.”

Vanessa nodded, leaning back in her chair. “They seem to be well covered. With the suit and mask it's doubtful that evidence like that could be found” she sighed, looking to her hands. “I hate clowns. I've….I've been having nightmares.”

He leaned forward in his chair. “About the killer?”

She nodded. Her shoulders shuddered at the thought. “I think the fact I dislike clowns makes me all the more scared.”

He looked at her thoughtfully. “You always did hate clowns.”

“It's a phobia for life.”

“And not just yours now. Poor Cain…” he said, shaking his head.

Vanessa looked at him quizzically. “Poor Cain?”

“Yea….after that call and the email today.”

Sitting up straight, the blonde looked at him confused. “Email and call?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean they haven't told you? Cain received a call from the killer on air today. They sent an email to him as well.”

“Oh god, I had no idea. I have to go” she said in a panic. Shutting down her laptop, she began to pick up her things.

“I'm sorry Vanessa. I thought you would have known.”

She stood up, shaking her head.

_Why hasn't_ _Charity_ _called me? Surely_ _Cain_ _would have told her?_

“It's OK Ross, I better get home and see what's going on.”

“We've traced the number he used” he replied, standing up. “It came from a phone box, just a couple of minutes from his studio. We think the email address used was just a fake name. If he's as smart as he seems, he'll have covered his back.”

Vanessa stood, shaking her head. “I don't believe this. Who's next? How can people be so uncaring for others' lives…?”

He shook his head lightly in response. Vanessa looked at him and smiled weakly. “Thanks for letting me know Ross. Keep me up to date yea?”

“Of course.”

\-------

Fifteen minutes later she arrived home to find Charity reading a book on the couch.

“Hey babe, thank god your home…” Charity started. “I've been forced to read this book on….”

“What's this about Cain?” Vanessa said, cutting Charity off as the door shut behind her. “Did the killer call him…?”

Putting the book down, Charity stood up. “How did you…” Realisation hit her. “Ross?”

“He came to the office before I left. Is it true?”

Charity lifted an arm. “Come sit with me” she told her.

Crossing the room, Vanessa grasped Charity's hand and sat by her side. Charity looked at her thoughtfully before speaking. “Yea, it's true. The killer called Cain on the radio this morning. They asked him how deeply they'd cut me…”

“What?” the blonde gasped.

Charity put a hand on her thigh and squeezed it lightly. “He went off air and continued the call. They told him to check his emails.”Carefully leaning to her side, Charity picked up the folder bit of paper that Cain had left. “This is what was in the email.”

Vanessa took the paper from Charity, eager to see what was inside. Her eyes widened as she scanned the paper. “Shit! This is awful. How is he?”

Charity shrugged her shoulders. “You know Cain.”

Vanessa closed her eyes. How could this be happening? Why was it happening to them?

“I got us some extra locks today” Charity said, breaking Vanessa's train of thought. “Some lights too, for around the house. Anyone comes close enough to the house, the lights will come on. That's for nights really. There's a guy coming to fit them tomorrow.”

Vanessa smiled weakly. “Good, it's better to be a bit more vigilant.”

Charity shuffled closer, wrapping an arm around the blonde. “How was your day?”

“It was good, until I heard about Cain. I've written a draft update on things, but I can change that and add what's happened….if Cain is OK with that?”

“I think the more people that know the better. We need to band together if we’re gonna catch the bastard doing this.” Vanessa looked at the floor. Charity drew her closer still, kissing her forehead. “The guys are coming around tonight” she continued. “I think we should figure out a way of protecting ourselves. Who knows who he or she or whoever the fuck it is will go after next.”

“What gets me is the lack of evidence. They've either had this planned for months or they're very slick. Maybe they've done this before and it's like second nature?! It really pisses me off.”

Charity thought for a moment. “Have you ever thought that we might know them..?”

Vanessa nodded. “It's crossed my mind” she admitted. “I just can't or should I say _don't_ want to believe that anyone we know could do this. Whoever it is, is a raving lunatic.”

They sat back on the couch, needing the supportive arms of one another. Charity was right, they needed to protect themselves...and their friends. While her mind drifted, Charity continued to hold Vanessa close. Something which she intended to do, not only tonight but for the rest of their lives.

\------

The last few days had passed quickly for Vanessa. She'd been hard at work each day, doing daily reports on any developments. It was her mission to uncover the truth. However, so far there hadn't been much to go on.

After a long night of talking with their friends, Charity had gone on a mission of her own. She'd bought pepper sprays and rape alarms for all of them. She hadn't told Vanessa, but after Kim had been murdered, she'd also applied for a firearm certificate and this week had gone out and purchased a gun.

Hoping to god she wouldn't need it, she'd decided to hide it in the top of her clothes cupboard, concealed in a box where no one, especially Vanessa who despised them, would be any the wiser.

On Wednesday night, after days of hearing her girlfriends pleading, Vanessa had caved and agreed to let Charity go back to work. The conditions had been drilled into the teacher and she promised to abide by them. The threat that Vanessa could show up at anytime in the day had settled the deal.

On Thursday Charity had gone in and come back unharmed, much to Vanessa's delight. She'd come back however, with the news that she'd been asked to go away on a training conference. It was down south so it wouldn't be just a day trip.

They'd talked about it that night and though she was reluctant to leave Vanessa alone, the blonde had insisted she would be fine. The new locks and lights had been fitted and were working great, which made them both feel slightly safer.

“Babe, if I need anything the guys are just a few minutes away.” Vanessa had told her.

“I know, but if something was to happen you may not be able to call.”

“I'll have my phone on me the whole time, aswell as the spray. Please babe, I'll be fine.”

Charity had thought about telling Vanessa about the gun, but to avoid a confrontation she'd chickened out. When Vanessa had told her she planned on going to the office late on to look at some photo's Rhona would be developing, Charity felt a little happier. Though thinking about it, it wasn't like the killer knew Charity was away for the night….

“You got everything you need?” Vanessa asked, leaning against the bedroom door frame.

They'd risen earlier this morning as Charity had a train to catch at 7am. “I think so” Charity replied, looking through her bag one last time. Happy enough she zipped it up and looked over at Vanessa. She really didn't want to leave her alone. In fact she had painful butterflies flapping around her stomach at the mere thought. “Are you sure you'll be alright? I can easily ring up and say I'm not going.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes. Pushing off the frame she walked over to the nervous teacher. “Charity” she started. Reaching out she placed her hands on her shoulders. “I told you, I'll be fine.”

“But…”

Vanessa silenced her by placing her finger over the protesting lips. Smiling assuringly, she leant forward and replaced her finger with her lips. They kissed softly until Charity bit down, not too hard on Vanessa's bottom lip. Getting the reaction she wanted, Charity pushed her tongue into Vanessa's opened mouth. Their tongues duelled for control as the sexual tension between them rose.

Eventually Vanessa pulled back. “We should stop before we end up in bed, and your train leaves without you on it.”

“That wouldn't be such a bad thing.”

Shaking her head amused, Vanessa embraced her. They rocked side to side, savouring the last few minutes of the others presence.

“If you need me, _for anything_ , call me OK?”

“I will, but please Charity, stop worrying.”

Reaching over the bed, Charity collected her bag and swung it over her shoulder. “It's my job to worry, so do as I say.”

Saluting, Vanessa agreed. “Yes Ms Dingle.”

The horn of a car was heard outside. “I guess that's for me.” They embraced again. “Love you 'Ness…”

“I know, I love you too…”

They walked out to the car where Charity opened the back door and threw her bag on to the seat. She ducked her head in and told the driver her destination. Turning back to Vanessa she took hold of her hand. “Stay safe OK?”

“I will, you too! Remember you're not fully healed.”

After a final kiss, Charity got in the taxi, shut the door and waved as the car pulled away.

\------

“What bothers me is the fact they'll be laughing at us. I hate when bastards like this think they can get away with anything.”

Jack was getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of leads on the mysterious killer.

“They're bound to slip up at some point” Ross replied.

“Yea, but how many others will lose their lives in the mean time? We can't just sit back and wait for them to strike again..”

Vanessa had been sitting taking notes in the meeting room where Jack, Ross, Faith, Eric and a few other random officers and reporters had come to discuss the case.

“So when was the last time they made an appearance?” Faith asked. “It was to the Dawson guy on the radio yea? He's your friend isn't he Vanessa?”

Vanessa looked up from her pad. “Yea, he is..”

Jack stood up from his chair and began to pace. “So, am I correct in saying that you knew or had some kind of history with all of the victims? You also received a note saying the killings had been done for you?” he stopped in front of Vanessa. “This all correct so far?”

“I, umm. Yea, I guess” Vanessa mumbled.

Jack raised his hands to massage his temples. “Can you think of anyone… _.anyone_ at all that would do this?”

Vanessa shook her head immediately. “I really have no idea.”

There was a knock at the door before Joanne's head popped in. “Sorry to bother you but the new editor and chief of _Tomorrow, Today_ is waiting in your office…”

“Oh, thank you Joanne” Faith said as she got to her feet. “Still no further forward, but keep us up to date wont you Jack?”

“Of course. We'll go live tonight at 7. Give the public an update, or at least what we have of one.”

Faith turned her attention to her husband. “Eric, I'll see you at home, remember the Crosby's are coming for dinner.”

“I can hardly wait” he mocked, before leaving the room.

Vanessa collected her things, said her goodbyes and made for the door. Ross held it open. “Thanks” she smiled.

“No problem. I'll walk with you.”

“Great.”

As they made their way to the entrance, Ross told Vanessa he wouldn't be patrolling later. It was his night off.

“Is that for good behaviour” she joked.

“I'm always good. I'm so used to working the night shift. In fact I don't know what to do when I'm not working. Married to the job.”

“Well everyone deserves time off to relax Ross. Actually, do you have any plans for tonight?”

“Like I just said, I never do anything when I get time off. Not since the separation.”

“Well, if you're free you can always come around to the house tonight. Charity's away on a teaching conference for the night. It would actually make me feel a bit safer in her absence…”

Ross's face had brightened up with every word Vanessa had said....especially the part about Charity being away. “That sounds great” he replied, opening the door to the car park.

The blonde stepped out into the sunny afternoon air. “I can cook actually, if you want?”

“This just gets better and better. No fast food for me tonight.”

Vanessa laughed. “Umm, you like chicken casserole?”

“I like everything.”

“Good. I'll be finished around 5 so if you come by about half 6?”

“I'm looking forward to it already” he smiled, stopping as Vanessa reached her car.

“Ok, I'll see you tonight then.”

Holding her door open, Ross replied. “Until tonight.” As she settled in her seat he closed the door and waved her off.

\-------

As Charity left the hall where she'd been for the last 6 hours, she stretched her tired muscles. “You look how I feel” Zoe said.

Charity laughed. “It was a bit long in the tooth wasn't it?”

“I hate these things, especially when they are so far away from home.”

“Yea…”

They made their way over the road where all of the Rentworth teachers were staying. “Do you fancy going out for a bite to eat?” Zoe asked.

“Good idea, I'm starvin’.”

“We could just eat in the hotel’s restaurant….it would be easier.”

“Lead the way” Charity smiled.

She'd called Vanessa 4 times since getting here. Though she wanted to check in again, she resisted the urge, deciding to wait until her stomach was full.

\--------

As Vanessa lifted the casserole dish from the oven, there was a knock at the door.

“Shit” she scolded. “I'm coming.” Putting the dish onto the hob, she threw the oven glove on the bench and made for the door.

Opening it she was greeted by a very cheerful looking policeman. “Hey” she said. “You're just in time. Dinner's just about done.”

“Ahh that's what I like to see….my dinner on the table when I get in from work.”

She raised an eyebrow to which he grinned. “I'm no housewife, Charity will tell you that. Although I do love to cook when I have the time..”

“I remember when you were about 13, you made a lush spag bol. I knew that would be the start of Vanessa Woodfield, _Master Chef_ _._ ”

She laughed as they walked through in to the kitchen. “I wouldn't say _master_ chef….maybe just chef.”

Putting on the gloves, she picked up the casserole dish and transferred it onto the dining table. “Here we go. Dinner is served.”

Pulling out a chair he sat down, awaiting Vanessa to do the same. “This looks great Vanessa, thanks.”

“Would you like a drink?'”

“Yea, a beer would be great. I walked over so there's no chance of me being caught under the influence.”

“Heaven forbid! You'd have to arrest yourself.” Grabbing a beer from the fridge, she brought it back to the table where she placed it in front of Ross.

“You not joining me?”

“No, I have to pop into work a little later. Rhona's at the public speech, getting photo's for my write up.”

“Oh, OK.” He raised his beer. “To old times” he said.

Raising her fork, she clinked it to his bottle. “To old times” she chuckled.

\-----

Zoe threw her head back in laughter as Charity tried to compose herself enough to finish her story.

“And I knew she wasn't joking when she went completely red.”

“Oh my god” Zoe laughed. “Did you tell Vanessa?”

“I did” Charity replied, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I said, babe, Tracy Stamp told me she wants your body.”

Zoe wrinkled her nose in disgust. “What did she say?”

“Well, after the laughter stopped, I believe her words were _that's sweet of her but I only have eyes for one gym teacher_!”

“So you weren't the only one pining after a supposed student then?”

“Apparently not.”

Zoe picked up the wine bottle and poured the last of it equally into her and Charity's glasses. “She certainly is an attractive woman, your Vanessa.”

“She is” Charity smiled, her mind filling with thoughts of her girl.

“I long to find someone to make me that happy.”

“You know Zoe, I'm actually flabbergasted you're single. I mean, you're an attractive woman. I'd have thought you would be beating them off with a stick.”

Zoe smiled, touched by Charity's sincerity. “I wish I was. Beating them off I mean.” She sat up in her chair. “I'm not sure what it is. I know my deafness is a big barrier to some people. I guess there just aren’t many deaf lesbians out there. Or even lesbians that can sign.”

“I can” Charity grinned, puffing out her chest.

“Yes, you can” she smiled. “You're a rarity Charity.”

\-------

After dinner, Vanessa and Ross had made their way into the other room where the more comfortable chairs were. They'd agreed that there should be no talk of the murders or anything related to work. For the last 10 minutes they'd been talking of relationships.

“She's a beautiful woman and we used to be so close. We married young, I'd just turned 19. It wasn't long before things changed... _she_ changed and, it was just hard you know? I'm sorry. I just don't really like talking about it. What's done is done.”

“I'm sorry Ross” Vanessa said, realising he was becoming uncomfortable with the subject. “You seem happy now though. Maybe because you're out of it?”

“Yea” he replied. “I'm happy to be out of it. I just don't like being alone.”

“You're not alone Ross” Vanessa said, patting his shoulder. “You have friends, and your family.”

“I know that, and everyone is great, but it’s not the same as being with someone. Being in love….being intimate.” He looked at her. “I miss that.” He continued to look at her. He wanted so much to lean in and claim her lips. He watched as her eyes strayed to the rim of her drink glass.

_Would she protest if I kissed her? She invited me here, for dinner when_ _Charity_ _was away. Maybe she's unsure….wants me to make the first move_ _._

His thoughts stopped as Vanessa got to her feet. “I'm just going to load the dish washer….”

Deflated, he stood up and followed her to the table. “Let me help.”

\-----

Feeling full, tired and a little tipsy, Charity and Zoe left the hotel restaurant and made their way upstairs.

In the lift they found themselves giggling at the older man standing in front, who had his hand on the backside of a girl who had to be half his age, _at least_. Once out on their landing, watching the lift's door's close they burst into fits of laughter.

“Grave digger” Zoe signed, unable to speak.

“More like cradle snatcher” Charity signed back.

Composing themselves, they walked along the corridor and came to Charity's door first. “Here’s me” she said, stopping to retrieve the key from her bag.

“I'm just along there” Zoe said, pointing down the hall. “Thanks for the meal.”

“Thank you too, Zoe. I wasn't looking forward to coming here, more so because of leaving Vanessa, but it's been fun.”

Placing the key in its lock, she opened the door. Turning back to Zoe she said “See you in the morning” before reaching out and hugging her.

Pulling back, Charity was met with resistance. Curiously, she turned her head to Zoe. When they were face to face, mere inches apart, Zoe closed the gap, locking her lips onto Charity's.

As soon as Charity realised what was going on she pulled back forcefully. They looked at one another. Zoe's mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.

“Zoe…” Charity said. Her mind was in overdrive.

 _What the fuck just happened_ she thought.

“I'm with Vanessa, Zoe. I'm in love with Vanessa. That can't happen again” she finished, her face completely serious.

Zoe looked like she'd been slapped in the face... _hard_. “Charity, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me.”

The blonde relaxed her features slightly before replying. “It's OK. You have to understand though, I would never do anything to hurt Vanessa. She's my life. I love her so much. I….I think you're great Zoe. I admire you so much. You're a good friend but I don't feel that way about you.”

Zoe looked to the floor. “I know.” She looked up. “I really am so sorry Charity. I guess I'm just lonelier than I thought.”

Charity couldn't help but feel sorry for the art teacher. Figuring her alcohol consumption had played a big part in her forwardness, Charity decided to give her a break. “Zoe” she signed. “Don't worry. You'll find someone and with any luck they will be as talented and beautiful as you are.”

After a few moments Zoe smiled. “Thanks Charity. I'm sorry again…” she said, before turning towards her room.

\------

Ross followed Vanessa into the kitchen, picking up his plate from the table as he did.

“It hardly seems worth putting the washer on tonight” Vanessa said, bending down to place her plate in the rack. Ross was opposite her, on the other side of the dish washer door. As Vanessa had lent down, he watched her cleavage which came into view slightly. His mind gone, he accidentally let go of the plate in his hand.

“Shit” he muttered as the plate fell into the washer. Luckily it didn't break.

“Butter fingers” Vanessa said amused.

They both went to get it. As their hands clasped around part of the plate, they looked at each other. Before he could stop himself, Ross lent in and brushed his lips against Vanessa's. It was only briefly, as Vanessa pulled back soon after. She let go of the plate and stood up, her face shocked.

Ross broke eye contact and looked down. He placed his plate next to Vanessa's before mimicking her position.

“Ross, what are you doing?”

His jaw was clenched. He looked at her, hoping to see some sort of denial or sign of want. But there was nothing. At least nothing he wanted to see. Defeated he looked at the floor. “I'm sorry Vanessa.”

She observed him, trying to think of what to say. “Why?”

He shrugged his shoulders, all the while trying to decide if he should be honest. Finally he looked up. “I like you Vanessa. I always have..”

Though Charity had put it in her head last week, she hadn't believed that Ross could possibly have feelings for her. “Ross….I'm _gay_ …” she said softly.

“You think I don't know that” he spat. Vanessa creased her brow, stepping back slightly. Calming himself he continued. “God Vanessa, I still remember the night you came out to me.” His eyes began to glisten. “You broke my heart you know? But after that I hoped it was just a phase you were going through. I was sure you'd grow out of it. You were shy so I never thought you'd actually have the courage to ask a girl out. Maybe you'd come back to men.…. _to me_.”

Vanessa listened to him, her lips slightly agape. All this time he had liked her. Unbelievingly, it had never crossed her mind. “Ross, I'm really sorry. I just….I just don't have feelings for men. I don't think I ever have.”

He looked back to the floor. “A dyke through and through.”

Though she hated that word, she decided not to correct him. She too looked at the floor. “I honestly never knew you had feelings for me, Ross. Charity had mentioned she thought you wanted more than friendship, but I told her she was crazy.”

“I know she doesn't like me and if I'm honest, I don't blame her. I was hoping that if I stuck around long enough, your feelings could change.” He watched her reaction. Seeing her head shake he nodded weakly. “Once a lesbian…”

“Always a lesbian” she finished.

Her words cut through him. “I'm sorry for making things awkward Vanessa. I've been put in my place now, so I'll leave you alone.” He began to walk into the other room.

“Ross, you're still my friend. One of my oldest… I don't want to lose that friendship. But that's all I can offer you.”

He looked back. “I don't know if it's enough.” With that he opened the door and walked out into the darkness.

\-------

Rhona had arrived back at work an hour ago and was developing her photos in the dark room. The press conference had been held outside the police station. Jack had put his point across that no stone would be left unturned in their search for the killer. What he had failed to mention however was their lack of evidence. With no leads, in reality they were all just as worried as everyone else.

After a brief phone call at lunchtime, Vanessa had told her she'd come along before 9, after she'd eaten with Ross. She glanced at her watched again. 9:15...

_She's probably forgotten_ _._

Looking to the trays, she noticed they were done. Taking them out, she hung them on the string line to her left. A commotion outside the room caused her to jump slightly. It sounded like a chair being thrown. That couldn't be right though, everyone had gone home.

_It's_ _Vanessa_ _….It'll be_ _Vanessa_ _tripping over_

Walking over, she passed through the curtain and opened the door. Peeking her head out, she looked left and right for the source.

“Vanessa” she called. “Is that you?”

There was silence. Looking around the area she saw nothing out of place. Shrugging she went back into the dark room, closing the door before passing back through the curtain. Just as she was about to pick up another photo there was a brisk knock at the door. She swung around and jogged to the door. Once out of the dark room, she again saw nothing.

“Who is it” she called. “I'm working with chemicals in here. You shouldn't disturb me.”

There was no reply.

Curiously she walked further away from the dark room. Passing the work stations, she looked in the nearest cubicles. Still there was no one.

As she continued her search, she thought about her talk with Cain earlier. _It's not just_ _Charity_ _and_ _Vanessa_ he'd said. _I think they're going to come after all of us…_

 _Ahhhh_ Rhona thought _. Why do I have to think of that now. There's no one after me. I haven't pissed anyone off….that I know of. But then again did_ _Charity_ _or_ _Vanessa_ _?_

Beginning to feel a little anxious, she wondered back over to the dark room. Gingerly she peeked her head around the curtain, careful not to let too much light pass over. The room was empty. She let out the breath she'd been holding. Feeling apprehensive, she let the curtain dangle slightly open as well as leave the door ajar. Turning her attention back to the room’s contents, she looked at the photo trays.

 _These can wait til tomorrow_ she thought.

Wanting to get out of there, she went over to the table and took out the last of the photo's. After hanging them up she turned to retrieve her bag.

“Argghh”she screamed, knocking a tray from the table as she bumped into a figure.

“Rhona….Rhona…it's OK, it's me.”

“Vanessa?” Rhona shrieked. “Fucking hell you scared the shit out of me.”

“I see that' Vanessa replied looking at her friend, pinned up against the table. “I'm sorry, I just saw the door open and thought I'd see if you were here still…”

As her erratic heart beats slowed down, Rhona moved off of the table and looked at the tray on the floor. “God Vanessa, 5 minutes ago I thought someone was after me, then you pop up out of nowhere. A heads up to say you've arrived would be good in future.”

“You thought someone was after you?”

“Yea. Well, I heard noise's outside. I just….You know what, it doesn't matter. You're here and I'm done. Let me just clean this up.”

Reaching to a shelf she grasped a glove and slipped it over her hand. Bending down, she picked up the tray and walked over to the sink. “Just as well there was no photo's in it.” Taking the glove off, she threw it on the counter. Turning back to Vanessa she sighed. “I thought your meal with Ross had been eventful and you'd forgotten to come.”

It was Vanessa's time to sigh. “Well, things were definitely…. _eventful._ ”

“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good. What's happened?”

Shaking her head Vanessa looked around the room. “How about I help you clean this up then we can get out of here?”

\-------

Just as Vanessa lay her head on the pillow her phone rang. She reached over quickly, knowing who the caller would be.

“Hey you..”

“Hey babe, how are ya?”

Vanessa smiled at the sound of her lover’s voice. “Ahh what a day, I'm glad to be in bed now, _believe_ me.”

After talking to Rhona about the nights events with Ross, she knew she had to tell Charity what happened. Not over the phone though, she'd wait until tomorrow.

“Oh? You had a rough day at work?”

“Not really, same old stuff. I was with Rhona until nearly 11. She'd taken photos and notes of the press conference that happened this evening. I've written up a little article for it. There's still nothing else to go off for now though. How are you doing anyway?”

“I'm OK, just lying in bed. Wish I was lying there with you.”

“Me too baby. It's quiet without you here. How did the conference go?”

“It was long and boring. I had dinner with Zoe tonight. There's a story there but I'll tell you when I get back.”

“Sounds exciting..”

Charity laughed. “Not really.”

“How's the stomach?”

“It's fine, hasn't given me any jip all day. Saying that all I've done is sit in a conference hall for hours.”

“Hmm, a taxing job you have there, Charity…”

“You wouldn't believe” Charity mocked back. “I'll be glad to get home though.”

“I'll be glad too. I miss not having my teddy bear to cuddle up to. This beds far too big for someone so small.”

“I miss you too, babe. It's amazing what naughty thoughts can run through a stuffed bears head!”

“You're so bad” Vanessa grinned.

“I know, and you love it!”

“Mmmm” Vanessa agreed. “Oh, did you hear the fair’s in town this weekend?”

“Is it? I don't usually pay much attention. I never go.”

“You don't go?” Vanessa asked flabbergasted.

“I tend to steer clear on account my students hang out there.”

“What's wrong with that? We're all human and away from work, you're in a different role. You're entitled to some fun too. Besides after everything that's happened to us, they respect you even more. You're closer to them than any other teacher.”

“That's my problem. I'm worried I'll look unprofessional, even more so with our history.”

“You knew something wasn't right though….in your heart. Plus you were going to resign. Oh and let's not forget you're with the woman of your dreams. You won’t be falling for anyone else.”

“No chance” she smiled in to the phone.

“So what do you say? We can invite the guys, make a night of it?”

“Ok, you're twisting my arm. Let's fly high in the rollercoaster!”

“Umm, maybe you can. My stomach however can't handle the speed of rollercoasters.”

Charity cleared her throat. “I'd disagree, but we'll see. I'll hold your hand if that would help?”

“Babe, if I go on a rollercoaster, I'll have my head in my lap the whole time!”

“Well, if you're gona be like that you can use my lap instead!”

Vanessa could hear the flirtation in Charity's voice. “Someone's frisky tonight.”

Charity giggled. “I'm just kidding. I'd like to get you on a rollercoaster but I won’t force you.”

“Let's wait and see” Vanessa yawned.

“Ok. I'll let you get some sleep now. Please make sure everything's locked up before you nod off.”

“I have done, _twice_. The house is safe, I'm safe so don't worry. What time will you be back?”

“I think we land at about 1 so I should be back home sometime before 2.”

“Ok” Vanessa replied. She planned on picking Charity up from the airport as a surprise. “I'll see you tomorrow then. Sleep well!”

“You too 'Ness, I love you!”

“I love you too, night Charity.”

“Night!”

\--------


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little warning for the end of the chapter...things start to get quite gory.

Chapter 8

The next morning, Vanessa dressed slowly before going to the supermarket in preparation for the night’s meal. She thought about calling Ross. Perhaps last night his alcohol consumption had made him a lot more forward then he’d intended to be. She knew their next meeting would be awkward, which frustrated her.

Then there was Charity and how she would react. What with their argument the other week about this exact same thing, perhaps Charity would seek Ross out and tell him to back off. The blonde had briefly thought of not telling her, but when reality struck she knew the truth would out down the line. They were in a happy, trusting and loyal relationship and this was definitely something to be truthful about.

Once the shopping had been taken home and put away, it was time for her to leave for the airport. It had only been one night but it had been the first night since they got together that they'd been so far apart.

Locking up, she headed to her car, the spring in her step noticeable from miles away.

\-----

Charity looked up from her book as her destination was announced through the speakers. She looked out the window to her left as a familiar scenery came into view. Closing her book she leant forward to put it back into the bag at her feet. As she straightened up she noticed Zoe pass by. The eye contact was minimal as the art teacher resumed her seat, 2 rows in front of Charity with another member of staff.

_I've really got to speak to her. Clear the air_ _._

When Charity had left her room earlier that morning she had been just in time to see Zoe and a few other teachers leaving in a taxi. She herself had taken the next, along with her remaining colleagues.

Any hope of talking to Zoe at the station had been dashed as she kept herself either shopping in departures or in deep conversation with her translator. Charity knew she was avoiding her. In the light of day Zoe would obviously be feeling quite embarrassed, especially with the knowledge of how in love she was with Vanessa.

Perhaps she'd catch up with her once the train came to a stop…

Twenty minutes later, Charity was striding through the station. She noticed Zoe in front, walking alone and knew this would be a good opportunity to talk. Reaching out, Charity touched her shoulder. Zoe's head turned at the touch and she stopped walking. She let out a long sigh as though she knew there was no escape.

“You can't avoid me forever…” Charity mimed.

Zoe shook her head, putting her hands in the air slightly in wonder. “I wasn't avoiding you” she signed unconvincingly, to which Charity cocked her head and smiled. “Ok” Zoe tried again. “I may have avoided you a little…” They continued to walk, Zoe glancing to the floor. Choosing her words carefully she looked up and spoke. “I'm embarrassed by the way I acted Charity. I don't know what possessed me to do it.”

Charity looked on and thought. “You know what, I have an idea. How about we put it all behind us and call it a minute of drunken insanity?”

Nodding, Zoe held out her hand. “It's a deal!”

Shaking her hand Charity breathed a sigh of relief, glad that was out of the way. Continuing their journey through the station, Zoe thought for a moment before looking at Charity again. “I know you'll tell Vanessa what happened. It's obvious to me now how loyal and true you are to each other. But please Charity, assure her that I am extremely ashamed and it will never happen again.”

“I'll tell her” Charity agreed. “I know she’ll appreciate your assurance. I do an’all!”

As Charity felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to the teacher wanting her attention. She never saw Zoe sign _It's not like I would stand a chance.._

As people started to flow out of the door, Vanessa extended her neck, trying to see past the mound of heads in front of her. She saw a group of teachers walk out, Zoe walking at the back of the crowd. Catching her eye Vanessa smiled, lifting her hand to wave. Zoe smiled weakly in response.

Turning her attention back to the arrivals, she was just in time to see Charity walk through the doors. As their eyes met, Vanessa's heart skipped a beat at the sight of Charity's surprised yet happy face.

Moving forward, the gap between them grew smaller until eventually they held out their arms in greeting, ready to embrace one another.

“You came to get me” Charity smiled, wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulder.

“Of course!”

Loosening their embrace, they kissed softly. “Thanks babe, I missed you!”

“I missed you too! Did you have a good journey?” she asked, running her hand up and down Charity's back.

“Yea, I had my book so it flew over.”

“That's good, here I'll get your bag!” Vanessa told her, reaching down.

“No no, it's alright, I have it!”

“Give me it, _now_ ” Vanessa told her. Before Charity could protest again, she took hold of the bag's handle. Straightening up she placed a quick kiss on her girl’s lips. “So. did you get me a present?”

Charity laughed softly. “You’re gona have to wait and see” she teased. They laced their fingers as they continued the walk to the car.

\--------

An hour later they were home and relaxing out in the back garden with a glass of wine. It was another warm weekend and they were happily taking advantage of the sun.

“So what was it you wanted to tell me about last night?” Vanessa asked as her fingers grazed lightly over Charity's stomach.

Charity turned to her. “Oh yea.” She let out a chuckle. “You'll not believe it. Last night, after the lecture, I went out for dinner with Zoe. We’d had a nice night, full of laughing. Then as we were saying night, she kind of made a pass at me…”

Vanessa raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”

“Well, she kissed me. I couldn't believe it, I was stunned.” Charity's animated face caused Vanessa to laugh.

“Seems I have competition. I'll beat that bitch down” Vanessa joked, swatting the air in front of her.

“Babe, there's no contest. Seriously though, I talked to her, _eventually_ after we landed. She'd been avoiding me since it happened.”

“I imagine she was embarrassed…”

“Yea, I know that. She was totally embarrassed. She'll not be doing it again.”

“I would hope not. I'd hate to have to go Jackie Chan on her arse.”

“I bet you would” Charity smirked. She stroked a hand over the blonde’s cheek before kissing her on the forehead.

Vanessa took hold of Charity's hand and began to play with her fingers, suddenly nervous about what she had to say. “It seems as though we both had eventful nights…”

“Oh? How come?”

Her mouth suddenly dry, Vanessa leant down to retrieve her glass. She knew she had to be tactful here as her history with Ross was a lot more complex. Taking a long gulp, she placed the glass back down and resumed her place in the crook of Charity's shoulder. “I invited Ross around for dinner last night. Don't look at me like that” she said as Charity raised an eyebrow and grimaced. “I thought it would be nice to catch up properly. What with everything that's been going on we hadn't had time to sit down and talk about way back when. Also, the benefit of having the police here sounded like a good plan….just in case…”

“I told you I didn't have to go!”

“Ah ah, don't get into that” Vanessa told her, raising a finger. “It was just a thought at the back of my mind. I felt totally safe.”

Charity just smiled weakly in response.

“Anyway, we'd had dinner and chatted. I felt a bit _uncomfortable_ when he went on about being intimate with people. I felt uneasy under his stare…”

Charity nodded to herself. “I knew it, I knew he wanted you.” She looked back at Vanessa with an _I told you saw_ look on her face.

Vanessa felt slightly guilty. “I'm sorry I said you were crazy. I really didn't think he thought of me like that.”

Charity nodded. “So, what? He told you, did he?”

“Well, as I was feeling uncomfortable, I went to put the dishes in the washer. He followed me in and as I was bending down to put a plate in the rack, he tried to kiss me.”

“He tried?”

“Yea” the blonde nodded. “When I saw him move closer I backed away.”

“What did he say?”

“He apologised and then confessed how he's liked me since school, even when he knew I was gay!”

Charity shook her head. “I knew he wanted you. The slimy bastard. It was so obvious.”

“Not to me” Vanessa disagreed. “I've never led him to believe anything could or would _ever_ happen between us…. _never_.”

The taller blonde sighed. “I can't exactly blame him for trying. You're amazing Vanessa, and gorgeous. I count myself lucky to have ya.”

Vanessa smiled. Once upon a time she didn't count herself as being remotely attractive, but ever since that article, her whole perspective on herself and life had changed. Raising herself from Charity's embrace she swung a leg over Charity's waist. Now straddling the teacher, she leaned down. “I count myself lucky too. We're quite the catch you and me.” She placed a loving kiss on the lips in front of her. When she pulled back, Charity cocked her head.

“You know, my wound has healed rather nicely.”

“Mhmm, your body takes care of itself alright.”

“So…..what do you say? You fancy doing a little evaluation?”

“Of what?”

“My wound. Shall we test its recovery?” she replied with a twinkle in her eye.

“Ohh” Vanessa smirked.

The blonde rose from the sun bed, closely followed by Charity as they made their way back into the house.

\-------

They spent the rest of Saturday lazing around the house, ignoring their friends' pleas to go out. What with everything that had been happening, it was nice to spend some quality time at home together.

The following day it had been arranged that they were to go out for a meal with the gang before heading down to the fun fair. Charity and Vanessa had arrived at the little Italian restaurant before everyone else, so they sat at a large table in quiet discussion.

“You'll not force me to go on the big rides, will you?”

Charity smirked as she caressed Vanessa's hand between her own. She placed a comforting kiss on the knuckles. “If you don't wona to go on a ride then that's fine with me 'Ness. In fact, I may even pass. I'd hate for my students to see me bring my dinner back up!”

“The guys will pick on me for not going on, won't they?” she sighed.

“Meh, we can laugh at them as they scream in the carriages.”

“Yea” Vanessa nodded. “That sounds like more fun to me!”

“I love the other side to fun fairs anyway. The strategy games. I remember when Chas and me were younger, I was so competitive…”

“You _were_? I'd _never_ have thought that…” Vanessa grinned.

“Oh har har” Charity chimed. “Anyway, it didn't matter how long or how much money I spent on a game. Whether it was shooting, coconut shies or basketball, I'd always come back with at least 1 prize.”

“And by this time you'd probably spent more money than the prize originally cost…?”

“Hey, it's not just the money at stake, it's the pride. I got better in time.”

“Well maybe tonight you can win me a teddy” Vanessa smiled.

Charity frowned. “Very cliché, babe, but if that's what my woman wants…”

“Alright guys?”

They looked up at the sound of Cain's approaching voice. “Hey” Vanessa smiled as Moira, Rhona, Laurel and Nicola lagged behind. As they made themselves comfortable, they looked around the restaurant.

“We still waiting on Chas and Paddy?”

“Yea, Tracy and Lori too!”

“I have to say” Rhona started. “Lori is a beautiful woman.”

Vanessa nodded. “She's a good girl too. Not like my Tracy.”

“Maybe she needs a hand to hold on those scary rides?” Rhona quizzed.

“Ask her yourself” Cain said, nodding her head to where Tracy and Lori had just appeared.

“Hi guys, just seen Chas and Paddy pulling up in his van.”

“Hey Tracy, hey Lori…”

“Hi there” Lori replied, scanning the faces of her newly acquainted friends. She'd heard a lot about them from her flat mate and felt honoured to be accepted into the close knit group.

“Hi Lori, this seats free” Rhona said, patting the chair to her right.

“Thanks.” The rest of the group smirked and shook their heads knowingly.

“So how you guys doing?” Vanessa said to Laurel and Nicola who so far, hadn't said a word.

“Ok, I guess” Nicola replied. “My parents are being really protective. I had to practically beg to come out tonight.”

“You can't blame them Nicola” Charity said. “It's a parent’s worse nightmare to lose their child.”

“I know that, but I assured them there was a big group of us.”

“We can get you home tonight Nicola” Charity continued looking at Vanessa. “It'll be good for them to see you have sensible adults looking out for you.”

“Eh, hello?” Cain chimed in. “I picked her up. I think they know that already…”

“I said _sensible_ adults Cain…” Charity smiled.

Cain rolled his eyes as the others laughed and agreed at Charity's statement. “Walked right into that one didn't I?”

“Looky here” came an approaching voice. “They've been in here 5 minutes and already they're the loudest table in the place.”

“Hey Chas, glad you made it.”

“Hi everyone” Paddy said, lifting a hand in greeting.

“Yea, bout time Chas” Cain said. “I'm starving.”

“I'm just nipping to the toilet” Charity said as she stood up.

As Chas and Paddy sat down, the other's picked up their menu's.

“I'm having something light, No way can I have a big dinner then go to a fun fair” Moira said.

“Charity and I were just saying that…” Vanessa added.

“I can't believe you persuaded her to come. Charity hasn't been to a fun fair in years” Chas explained.

“Yea, she said. I couldn't believe it! Fun fairs are fun for all ages.”

“She's told you why, hasn't she?”

“Yea, I totally understand what with her profession. It's difficult when a lot of her students go…”

Chas chuckled. “Get out of here, is that what she told you?”

“Umm yea” Vanessa replied slightly confused. “I mean I know she's a little competitive.”

Chas continued to laugh. “A _little_ competitive? Girl, you've been played.”

“You mean that's _not_ the reason?”

“Well, I'm sure that's a small part of it, but it’s not the main reason.”

“So what _is_ the real reason” Cain asked.

Stifling a giggle, Chas began to explain the real reason behind Charity's reluctance to attend fun fairs. “Well, you all know Charity. She's possibly the most competitive person to walk this earth and well, that started at an early age. Our dad used to take us to fun fairs every year and we loved it. We'd go on all the rides and play at all the stalls. Charity seemed naturally talented at all the throwing, shooting and aiming games and always used to come home with an arm full of prizes.”

“She did mention that…”

“I'm sure she did. Ever the big headed lady our Charity. I remember when she came home with 12 coconuts. She didn't even like them.”

“So why did she want to win them?” Rhona asked.

“It was for the gratification she got from knocking the coconuts off the poles. She loved a crowd, cheering her on as she knocked them off, one by one.”

“Always the show off” Cain said with a roll of his eyes.

“Uh huh, unfortunately one year, Charity's competitive side reared its big ugly head when she was struggling at this particular game. You know the one where you have to throw the rings over the prizes that are stood on top of boxes?”

“Oh yea, and the ring has to fall to the bottom of the box?” Nicola asked.

Chas nodded. “Charity tried and tried and the more times she played, the more aggressive she got. When she'd spent £30 on it…”

“£30??”

“Yep, dad cut her off. Man, she got so angry. She started mouthing off to the guy behind the stall. She insisted it was obviously a set up and the rings couldn't fit over the boxes. Even when she was shown, she wasn't happy.”

“I never knew this” Cain said. “How old was she?”

“I think she was 12, maybe 13 at the time and that's when dad told her she wasn't allowed to the fun fair again.”

“Now I think of it, she always had an excuse not to go.” Cain stated. “HA, all this time the real reason was because her _daddy_ banned her from going. What a baby.” Sitting himself upright, Cain made a face and began to impersonate Charity.

_“_ _I can't go_ _,_ _I have homework….I have to help dad…_ _”_

He didn't see Charity approach the table. And even when Vanessa gestured behind, Cain didn't realise.

“… _I have my period_. So many excuses. It all makes sense now!”

“What makes sense?”

Cain's head shot round at the sound of Charity's voice. “Ugh…” Cain looked at the others as Charity resumed her seat. “Chas was just telling us a story” he finished, passing the buck.

“Yea I was. What's this crap you’ve been telling people about the fun fair?”

“What do you mean?” Charity asked straight faced.

“Don't act all innocent with me, I'm your big sis remember?”

Vanessa took her hand from the table and placed it on Charity's thigh. “Chas was just telling us about the last time you went to a fun fair…”

Charity looked from the blonde to her sister, a questionable expression on her face. The other's looked to and from the siblings and then to each other. They found it difficult to hide their amusement.

“Did she now?”

It was no good. Seeing the smug look on Chas's face as well as the _you're in so much trouble_ look on Charity's face, the group began to laugh. Turning to her giggling girlfriend, Charity raised an eyebrow.

Composing herself, Vanessa stroked the teacher’s thigh. “I'd feel exactly the same, babe. Those fun fair folk are nothing but money grabbing cheats.”

“I knew you were a feisty one Charity” Rhona chuckled. “I bet you were just as hot headed at 13 as you are now. The poor man must have been petrified.”

“He would have been, had I not being escorted out by security…”

That statement made them laugh out even more.

“I didn't know that” Chas wheezed. “Dad just told me he'd banned you from going.”

“Well, had you stayed with us, you would have seen me walked from the premises and told not to go back.”

“Aww Charity” Vanessa said. She got closer and whispered in Charity's ear. “I bet you were as cute then when you're angry as you are now. I wish I'd have known you then.” She kissed the skin behind the teacher’s ear before moving back.

A smiled played at Charity's lips. She turned to the blonde. “You're right, some things don't change.” She leaned forward, placing a light kiss on her lips, the banter forgotten.

“Alpha Charity, telling it like it is” they heard Cain say.

Looking from her lovers eyes, Vanessa turned to the group. “Alright guys, leave my girl alone or you'll witness alpha Vanessa.”

“Now that I'd _love_ to see…” Rhona smiled, winking as the blonde looked at her.

“Me too” Tracy said. “I've known you my whole life and not once have I seen anything remotely alpha about you.”

“I have” Charity input, a knowingly smile passing between her and the blonde.

“I'm not as naïve as I once was Tracy” Vanessa stated. “So drop it, before I go kung fu on your arse’s.”

“Amen” Chas said with a bow of her head.

\-------

It was around an hour and a half later when they eventually left the restaurant. During dinner, Cain had decided to have a few drinks, so they split up and either got a lift from Charity and Vanessa or from Paddy.

By the time they arrived at the fun fair, it was in full swing. Kids were laughing and shouting, cries of horror could be heard from high in the skies, just like every attraction site should be.

The group paid for admission before wandering into the crowded area. Soon familiar voices were heard from all around.

“Nicola, Laurel! Hey everyone…”

“Mandy, hey. I was just about to call you” Nicola replied. “How long have you been here?”

“A while now….been on loads of rides. The rollercoaster is awesome, you have to go on.”

“Yea…” Laurel replied before turning to the group. “You guys fancy it?”

Charity looked at Vanessa who stood looking to the skies. A carriage on the nearby rollercoaster flew by and mounds of screaming voices could be heard. Vanessa looked to Charity and shook her head slightly. Looking back to the group, Charity replied. “I think we'll pass for now thanks, let our dinner digest more…”

“Oh, OK, how about the rest of you?”

“I'm up for it” Tracy said. “Come on Cain, Moira….”

“I'm so there” Moira exclaimed merrily before taking Cain's hand and heading deeper into the park.

“We'll catch up with you guys later” Cain waved.

“And then there were 6” Chas stated.

“Well I don't know about you guys but I'm begging for some candyfloss” Rhona said. “Lori? Do you like candyfloss?”

“I love it.”

“Great, come on” Rhona told her, flashing a flirtatious smile.

“£20 says Lori won’t be going home with just Tracy tonight” Vanessa said, watching the 2 retreating figures.

“I'll see your £20 and raise you one horny photographer” Charity laughed.

Scanning the area, a ride caught Vanessa's eye. Squeezing Charity's hand she looked at her. “You know, I'm dying to witness these talents of yours…” she told her, nodding her head in the direction of some stalls.

The taller blonde's gaze followed the nod. “Really? Don't you think we should go on the rides before having to carry big teddies around?”

“What makes you think you'll win” Chas asked.

Charity just smiled. “What can I say Chas, I'm a natural. Come on, babe.” And with that Charity strode away, almost dragging Vanessa along.

“We'll meet up with you later, be careful” Vanessa called. Turning back to Charity she raised an eyebrow. “That was a little rude…”

“What? She's teasing me. I'm just choosin’ to ignore her. Anyway, what kind of bear takes your fancy?” Charity asked, turning her attention to the stalls.

“Actually, I had another thought. I just said that so we could escape from those guys.”

“Oh, what did you want to do?”

Vanessa turned to her right and pointed into the distance. “I thought maybe we could fool around on the love boats' she said, turning back and grinning. “You seem tense. Perhaps I can kiss all your cares away…?”

Charity shook her head in amusement. “Lead the way, you tiny blonde rocket woman.”

\--------

An hour later, the sky had darkened and the fun fair was cast in the glow of the numerous rides. The gang had met up a few times then gone their separate ways again. Now, together again, they went in search of Charity and Vanessa.

“I bet they've gone. They're so boring. They'll have gone home to have sex.”

“Why do you call them boring Cain?” Tracy asked her. “They're in love and enjoy each other's company. I think it's sweet!”

“Thanks yoda.”

“There they are…” Moira said pointing ahead.

In the distance Charity and Vanessa were walking through the exit gate of the love boat. They were wrapped around one another, looking very content.

“Ok, so I was wrong about the whole going home part, but they have so just made out on one of those boats.”

“Cain….” Chas warned.

The loved up couple noticed their friends watching them. Charity said something to Vanessa which caused them both to laugh.

“There you 2 are…” Chas called. “Thought we'd have to send out a search party.”

“You been enjoying all the rides?” Cain asked.

“Well, one in particular….” Charity replied, winking back at the blonde.

“There's a stall I think you 2 will love. Well, more so Charity…” Chas started.

“Oh?”

“Mhmm, come on, we'll show you…” her sister finished, moving off to her left.

A minute later they arrived at a seemingly popular attraction. There was a line of people waiting to throw cream pies at their friends’ faces, which were peeking out through holes in a wooden wall.

“What do you say Charity?” Chas asked. “You still think you have a good aim?”

“Oh I'm sure I still have it. The question is….who wants to get pied?”

They all looked at one another, saying nothing.

“Oh go on then” Vanessa said. “You can take your best shot at me…”

“Are you sure?” Charity asked hesitantly. “I make no exceptions, babe.”

Vanessa laughed. “I wouldn't expect you to. I have a plan of action anyway…” she winked.

“Ohh, it's on” Nicola stated.

“Nothing like a bit of girl on girl.” They all laughed at Cain as Charity and Vanessa walked up to the guy behind the stall.

“How much is it to pie my girl?” Charity asked him.

“£2 gets you 1 throw, £3 gets you 2 or £5 gets you 3…” Charity looked at Vanessa with a twinkle in her eye.

“It's only going to take one but I'll take 3.….just in case I'm rusty.”

As Charity handed the money over, the guy escorted Vanessa round the back of the board. Standing on a wooden box, she stuck her head through the board.

“That's right blondie, stick your head in that hole” Cain shouted. The rest of them cheered and wolf whistled.

Charity looked at her girlfriend sympathetically. 'Don't worry, babe. In a second I'll cover your face in cream and hide your embarrassment.” When everyone behind her laughed even harder, she rolled her eyes at their gutter brains.

“Go on Dingle, cream that face” Cain roared.

Vanessa's head had disappeared from the hole momentarily as she controlled her laughing. Composing herself, her head re-emerged into the hole. “I'm ready Charity” she called.

The guy had placed 3 cake bases in front of Charity then had used the can of squirty cream to finish them off. Now, picking one up, the teacher held it at chest height.

“Remember I love you, babe…” she said, bringing her arm back.

“I love you too” she replied.

Just before Charity swung, the blonde shouted. “Babe, your zips down…”

Being mid motion at the time, the cake from Charity's hand weakly dropped a metre in front of her. Charity looked at the crotch of her pants only to realise her pants didn't have a zip.

Calls of amusement were heard from behind as they all realised Charity had been fooled. The teacher looked up at the amused grin on Vanessa's face.

“Gotcha” the blonde winked, flashing her dimpled grin.

 _How could I be so gullible_ Charity thought.

“Very good Vanessa, but that was a dangerous, _dangerous_ prank to play. Now there's no mercy.”

“Mhmm, give it to me.”

Picking up another pie, Charity placed it comfortably over her palm and fingers. Looking at her destination she winked before bringing her hand back then projecting it forward with speed. It smashed into the board, mere inches from the right hand side of Vanessa's face.

“Damn” she scolded under her breath.

“Boooooooo Hissssssss” was heard from behind.

“Come on Charity” Rhona called. “Can't you see that girl is waiting for your creamy goodness?”

“If you don't shut up you'll feel my creamy goodness.”

Rhona backed off playfully, lifting her hands. “Ohh, _touchy_.”

“I see Alpha Charity making an appearance here” Chas muttered under her breath.

“Don't' listen to them, Charity. Just concentrate…” Vanessa said.

Taking a deep breath, Charity picked up the last pie.

_This is it. You can do this…_

Taking aim she released the pie. This time, it flew right into Vanessa's face. “Yes” she called gleefully.

“Woooo, go Charity” the rest of them cheered.

Vanessa's head disappeared then reappeared with the rest of her at the side of the stall. Her face was completely covered in cream.

“Nice shot” she said, reaching for the kitchen roll on the table top.

“Nice take” Charity smiled. She leaned in and kissed the lips which lay beneath the thick cream. Vanessa took the opportunity to rub her face into Charity's, covering her face in the cream.

“Oi, you” Charity giggled, wiping her face.

“What? Don't you like my cream?”

“I _love_ your cream…” she whispered. She leaned in again, this time for a more passionate kiss.

Ten minutes later, having cleaned up in the toilets, Vanessa and the rest wondered around the fun fair.

“Oh a ghost train, we have to go on it” Cain said excitedly.

“Totally” Moira agreed.

“I think I'll pass thanks” Vanessa told them.

Charity nodded. “Yea, same here.”

“Ahh come on you big wimps” Mandy sighed. “It's not real. It's more funny than scary.”

“We can listen to you guys laugh then” Rhona smiled

“Bah, come on then you lot” Mandy finished as Laurel, Nicola, Cain and Moira followed her to the ride.

As the 5 of them paid for admission, the other's made themselves comfortable on a nearby park bench.

“Oh great, so I have to sit by myself” Mandy groaned to the 2 couples.

“What's the matter? Are you _scared_?” Nicola teased.

“Hardly, just watch your back” Mandy told her as she got in the back of the six person carriage.

Just as they sat, the carriage jerked into life. Slowly it glided along the track and into the darkened tunnel. Within seconds zombie figures were popping out at their sides. Cain let out a fake scream, causing the girls to laugh hard.

“Come on old timer, grow some balls” Nicola mocked from the seat behind him.

As the carriage continued its journey, a sudden wash of water sprayed over them, made to look as though it was blood, splurging from mutilated bodies.

“Ewww, skanky water” Moira said disapprovingly.

More figures jumped out of coffins and boxes, causing the girls to jump. Although Cain was putting up his defences his heart beat was growing steadily faster.

“Haha, that was a good one” Nicola laughed, as a plastic sword came crashing down, stopping just short of their heads.

A loud scream was emitted from a womanly figure being attacked by Frankenstein. Just at that moment, when the others were laughing, Mandy's head was grabbed from behind and before she could react, a blade was stroked along her throat. She gasped, but already the blood was seeping down her neck and over her chest. She clutched at her neck, trying desperately to cover up the slit.

“You're being quiet Mandy” Nicola shouted from in front.

“She's probably cowering on the floor of her carriage” Cain shouted. Those were the last words Mandy heard as she collapsed back on her seat.

\--------


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As the ride came to an end, the long carriage glided through the doors and out into the open. “You call that a ghost train?” Cain said. “You should call it the _come have a laugh train_. It's more appropriate.”

“Totally” Nicola agreed standing up. “What did you think” she asked turning around. As her eye's landed on Mandy's body laying lifeless on the back seat, her whole body shuddered.

Standing up herself, Laurel continued to laugh until she too saw Mandy's body, soaked in blood. She screamed, a high pitch cry of terror before her hands lifted up to cover her mouth. Cain and Moira came closer, wondering what was going on.

In the meantime, the others at the park bench shook their heads in amusement.

“Does she realise she should be screaming while _on_ the ghost ride and not when it's _finished?_ ” Charity enquired.

Vanessa shook her head. “They're kids, they don't need an excuse to be loud.”

“What's Cain's excuse then..?” Their discussion ceased as they watched Cain scream for the police.

“Somebody call an ambulance. Get the police” Cain cried. He looked to the group. “Charity” he called, waving his arm frantically.

“What the..?” Vanessa started.

“Do you think someone's in shock? Had a heart attack?” Rhona questioned as they quickly made their way over.

People had started to gather around the entrance to the ride. Some screamed, other's turned away in horror, while a few looked on in disbelief. Passing the onlookers, the gang got closer to the scene.

“Cain, what…” Charity stopped talking as her eye's caught sight of what was wrong.

“Oh my God” Vanessa cried, her hand automatically covering her mouth. “Mandy.”

“She's dead” Laurel sobbed, bringing her head up briefly from Nicola's embrace.

“Jesus” Vanessa breathed. The tears began to fall as she continued to stare at Mandy's bloodied body.

“The killer, he was in there with us. He could have, he could have killed all of us” Moira stuttered. Her whole body shook as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She dropped to her knees as a wave of sickness came over her.

Cain knelt down beside the young woman while she brought up a wave of bile. “Shhh, you're here. You're OK.”

“But Mandy? What has she ever done to anyone?” Moira replied, wiping her mouth.

Cain looked up at Charity and Vanessa, then down at Mandy's body. “I don't know.”

“Charity…” Vanessa whispered. “Do you think it was..” She couldn't finish the sentence. Her heart was beating too erratically for her to say more than a few words.

Charity merely shook her head in response. Though they weren't in school, Charity still felt as though Mandy had been under her care. A shred of guilt washed over the teacher. She tried hard to keep the tears from falling, but it was no good. Lowering her head, she turned to Vanessa, who immediately sank into her arms. They sobbed on one another's shoulder, taking comfort from the warm hold.

“She was just a kid” Charity whispered.

Vanessa rubbed the back of Charity's head, keeping a firm hold around the teacher. She knew some part of her would be feeling in some way responsible. Hell, even she felt responsible, perhaps even more so than Charity. In regards to the minimal evidence, the killer was doing this for _her_. What she didn't understand was why? Why would someone be killing these people, _for her_? She'd never want anything like this.

“OK, can everyone please back away. This is a crime scene.”

Vanessa looked up at a security guard, who was beginning to clear the area. Charity pulled out of the embrace and wiped her face.

“She's our friend” Moira shouted as the guard attempted to clear the group away.

“Miss, this is a crime scene now, we need you all to back away. When the police arrive they'll need statements from you.”

“We didn't see anything. She was behind us. The tunnel was dark and loud for fuck sake.”

“Miss, I understand you're upset about your friend but can you please let me do my job?”

Moira threw her hands in the air and walked away. The rest of the group stood in disbelief, not knowing what to do.

“I don't know if I should be taking pictures.” Rhona started. Charity looked at her sharply. “I know, it's awful” Rhona continued. “She's our friend, but this needs to be done.”

They were all silent, each knowing she was right. It was her job. Four of them worked for the news, and knew it had to be done.

“I should get the camera out of the van” Paddy said softly.

“Ok” Chas nodded weakly as Paddy backed off.

“Her poor family…” Vanessa said. “Parents all over town will be keeping their kids in lock down until this psycho is caught.”

Tracy nodded. “Maybe that's for the best. You know that's what our folks would say.”

“Yea..” They heard sirens approaching and soon after the police cars and ambulances came into view.

“Here come the cavalry” Cain stated.

Vanessa rubbed her eyes. “I feel so sick” she winced.

Charity put an arm around her again. “Me too.”

“The killer was here” Cain said lifting his arm. “He was in this ride, _with us_. Someone has to have seen something.”

“We don't know if it's our phantom killer though. It could be a random attack” Rhona told him.

“Not the way our luck is going” Vanessa input.

“OK, well if it was our phantom killer, they'll have been noticed. I mean the costume is a huge giveaway. Someone must have seen something?”

“Cain, this is a _fun fair_. I've seen loads of clowns here tonight” Chas told him. “It's not gonna to be that easy.”

They watched as the police taped up a barrier, cutting off the growing crowds. They assessed the body, along with the paramedics, finding there was no pulse. They noticed the slit across her throat. It was a deep slit. They realised she would have bled to death within seconds of it happening.

“She's definitely dead?” Rhona asked.

“Her throats been slit, of course she's dead” Cain bit.

“I was just…” She didn't bother finishing, instead she opened her bag and retrieved her camera. “This feels….awkward. I've never photographed a scene where I know the victim.”

“You have to detach yourself as much as possible Rho” Vanessa told her. “At least that's what I was told.”

“By Graham?” Vanessa nodded. “He's a dick and has no heart, so that's easy for him” Rhona told her. “What's taking Paddy so long?”

“There's probably a stampede in the car park.”

\-------

As Paddy made his way back to the van, it was obvious that the news of a murder had travelled fast. Curious fun fair goers walked towards the ghost ride, while others fled the park as fast as they could.

The parks exits began to fill up of a line of cars, tooting their horns impatiently. Striding across the gravel, Paddy's van came into sight. As he pulled his keys out of his pocket, he noticed something lying on the ground. There were lots of discarded items thrown around like cans and sweet wrappers, but this particular item caught his attention.

Crouching down he grasped the mask. It was the silicon face of a clown. Sure at a place like this there were bound to be a fair few clowns kicking about, but what if this mask belonged to _the_ clown. The clown that had been killing all these people? The fact that there had just been another murder made him believe it even more. What if, in haste to get away, the murderer had dropped the mask unknowingly? There'd be some sort of DNA imprinted within it wouldn't there? It was worth a second opinion if nothing else.

Straightening up, mask in hand he continued his walk to the van. Rounding to the left side, he unlocked the door and slid it open. Throwing the mask on a shelf, he leaned into the van, reaching for his portable camcorder. No doubt Faith would be in contact soon enough and want him to film the report.

 _Always good to show initiative_ he thought.

As he pulled it towards himself he reached back over for a new tape. Straightening up he noticed a figure to his left. Turning, he smiled. “Umm, hey, did you hear…”

Before he could finish he was punched, hard across the face sending his body flying into his van. Before he had a chance to retaliate, he was kicked in the groin before being punched in the nose again and again and again.

Holding onto the last thread of consciousness, he felt himself dragged fully into the van. The figure slammed the door shut then turned back to Paddy.

“Why?” Paddy croaked through the blood, which now trickled down the back of his throat.

No answer was given. It wasn't long before a sharp knife penetrated his chest. Once, twice, three times.

As the seconds passed, the figure hovered over the cameraman, watching until he eventually ceased breathing. Putting the bloodied knife back beneath their top, they grabbed the mask from the shelf, put it on and turned to the door. Sliding it open they cautiously scanned the area before jumping to the ground. Looking back briefly they slid the door closed then disappeared into the darkness of the night.

\-------

Back at the ghost ride, people were still gathered around, watching as the paramedics and policemen went about their duties. Those that had been nearby at the time had their names and addresses taken incase they had witnessed even the smallest thing that could help.

Cain, Moira, Laurel and Nicola had been asked to go down to the station and give individual statements. Rhona had been circling the taped off area, taking pictures of anything she could. Though she tried, she had been unsuccessful in her attempt to get beyond the tape. The others were still stood in the same place, waiting to hear any news. Vanessa had gone to question a few people, but as she had suspected, no one had seen anything suspicious. In regards to her question on whether they had seen a clown, they had seen many. This _was_ a fun fair after all.

“Nothing?” Charity enquired as Vanessa made her way back over.

She shook her head. “It's like everyone's being killed by a ghost.”

Charity embraced her, placing a kiss on her temple. “It's frustrating, I know. He'll slip up eventually.”

“Yea, but how many innocent lives will be taken in the mean time?”

“Chas, hey.” The group turned to the source of the new voice.

“Sandy, hi there” Chas replied. “Guy's this is Sandy, she took over your role at sky news Vanessa…”

“Oh, nice to meet you” Vanessa said, holding out her hand. “Shame about the circumstances.”

“Of course, I didn't recognise you” Sandy smiled. She looked from Vanessa to the woman with her arm around her. “And you're Charity?”

“So they tell me” Charity replied weakly.

The sarcasm flying over her head, Sandy went on. “Gripping story you wrote. It was like something out of a movie. I admire you so much. It's great to meet you.”

Turning her attention back to Chas she became serious. “Is Paddy here? I was hoping to get on the air.”

“He is, somewhere” Chas replied.

“He's been gone a while now” Charity cut in. “Do you think it's still really crowded in the car park?”

“I'd of thought so. People will be dying to get away from the scene” Vanessa replied, quickly dropping her head at the realisation of what she said.

Chas squeezed her arm. “I think I'll go check.” She turned to go but before stepping away she looked back. “Would you guys come with me? The thought of some weird, psycho clown being out there gives me the heeby jeebies.”

“Of course we will” Charity replied. “I don't like the idea of you going alone anyway.”

Sandy looked on. “I'll just wait here for you then.”

Out of earshot, Chas turned to Charity and Vanessa. “Paddy said she's a nightmare to work with. Never shuts up.”

As they made their way passed the vacant rides, they couldn't help but feel a little on edge by the silence around them. It's not the scene you'd expect to see at a fun fair. During open hours anyway. Circumstances had changed though. Another life had been taken. They knew now that this wasn't just any murder case. There was a serial murderer in town and who knew what they was planning next?

“Jeeze, this place sure cleared quickly” Chas stated as they wandered through the spacious car park.

Walking close to where they had parked, they saw both the van and Charity's car.

“Here we are, Paddy isn't here though.”

“We probably passed him…”

“Probably, I'll check to make sure he isn't in there.”

Walking ahead of the other 2, Chas rounded to the side of the van. She lifted a hand and knocked on the metal side. “Paddy, you in there?” Not waiting for a response, she grasped the handle, lifted it up and pulled it along its holding. The sight within caused her breathing to hitch. She stumbled back, a hand shooting to her mouth. “No” she screamed.

Charity and Vanessa rushed to her side. The sight of Paddy's bloodied body caused their limbs to freeze. “God no” Vanessa breathed.

“Why?” Chas cried. “What did Paddy do?” she screamed, spinning around, throwing her hands in the air.

Charity got closer to the van. She didn't need to check for a pulse. Paddy's open and unmoving eyes told her enough. She closed her eyes in an attempt to compose herself. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved her phone. Flipping it open she dialled 999. “I need to report a murder. No don't put me on, _fuck_ ” she cursed. Turning around she looked at Vanessa. She was stood, attempting to console her frantic sister. Vanessa turned to her as they shared a comforting stare before a voice came on the line.

“I need to report a murder. It's at the local fun fair.' she was cut off by the other person's voice. “Yes I'm aware there has been a report but I'm talking about another murder. It's in the car park. Yes. It looks like multiple stab wounds. Yes. His names Paddy, he's, he _was_ my sister's partner. Charity Dingle. Yes, yes, we'll stay here. Ok.”

She hung up and looked over to the women. “They're sending someone over. We can't, we can't touch anything.”

“Why the fuck would we touch him?” Chas cried. “Someone's done that enough for us haven't they? Who the fuck is this fucker?”

Charity and Vanessa looked at one another.

“Who Charity?” Chas continued. “Why would they kill Paddy?”

Charity stepped closer to her sister, reaching out to embrace her. “I don't know, Chas.” She looked over Chas's shoulder at Vanessa.

Reaching out she gripped Vanessa's hand and pulled her into the embrace. They stayed like that until they heard sirens approaching. Soon paramedics scrambled around, assessing the scene. Police arrived and once again taped off the area. The 3 of them looked on in sympathy. Chas was feeling sorry for involving Paddy in her circle of friends, while Charity felt sorry for her sister.

 _Just another sorrow to add to her list_ she thought.

She worried that this would cause her to once again turn to drink.

However it was Vanessa who was feeling the most guilt. If what was said in the letter, all those weeks ago was true, and this was being done for her, then this was all her fault. No one she knew was safe, _especially_ her friends. Turning to Charity, she sank her defeated face into her neck as the nights events swam through her mind.

\-------

A week later and the gang were getting ready for their second funeral in as many days. The town was still recovering after the shock double murder at the fun fair. Rentworth High School had been closed all week due to the horrific murders. Even though all students were off school, the town had been pretty vacant. Anxious children and protective parents worried something would happen if they went out.

Vanessa had been to a couple of meetings with the local authorities, along with employees of Daily Chance and sky news. With still no leads on any of the cases, there wasn't a lot that could be said or done. Irritation was a mutual feeling by all.

Ross had been present at each of the meetings and it seemed obvious to Vanessa he had avoided her as much as possible. He stood at the other side of a room and was always quick to leave when the meetings were finished. Had Vanessa not had other more important things on her mind, she would have made more of an effort to talk to him. She didn't want things to go sour between them, but the case was much more important for now.

The biggest surprise of the week had been the reappearance of Graham. It was during the first meeting with the police and reporters. Vanessa was already seated with Rhona and Faith when in walked the man that used to be her boss. He had nodded over to them in acknowledgement before taking a seat with a team of reporters from Morning Gazette.

At the end of the meeting he came over to talk to them. “I thought I might be seeing you here” he said with a small smile.

“Graham, what are you doing here?” Rhona had said rather coldly. “Shouldn't you be in Canada?”

He had seemed quite miserable before he responded. “I was. It didn't really work out.”

Vanessa had stood up and pondered how to act with him. Realising things were well in the past now, she apologised for his misfortune. “How long have you been back then?” she enquired.

“About a month now. It took a couple of weeks but then I saw a job opening at the Morning Gazette. They knew about the article, how…” he stopped as his mouth went dry. He had looked sympathetically at Vanessa.

“It's in the past now Graham, things have really worked out for me. Go on..” she had pushed.

Taking a deep breath he had continued. “OK, thanks. I'm really happy for you Vanessa, I really mean that.”

He had gone on to tell them he'd been hired as head reporter for the rival newspaper. What with all the murders recently they needed all the man power they could get, especially with his experience. They'd exchanged pleasantries a little longer before Graham had been called away.

“So, that lying bastard flee's the country after betraying you, only to come back a few months later and settle himself behind a desk of our rivals?” Rhona had spat. “Who the hell does he think he is?”

“I just wonder what went wrong in Canada to make him come back here of all places…” Vanessa had replied.

On the Friday they had all attended the funeral of Paddy. There weren't many relatives present so it was quite a small affair. Chas had been so beside herself with misery that Charity hadn't wanted her to be alone. The teacher had insisted her sister stay with her and Vanessa all week, mostly so they could keep an eye on her. So far she'd resisted the urge to turn to drink, but Charity wasn't sure how long that resolve would last.

A day later and it was the funeral of Mandy, a much loved student of Rentworth High.

It was a little before midday when Charity and Vanessa pulled up at the church. Chas had decided she couldn't take another day of meeting bereaved funeral goers so stayed at home, in her pyjamas.

As the couple got out of their car, they spotted the gang hovering around the doors to the church and were waved over. “You OK 'Ness?” Charity asked the blonde as they wandered over to their friends.

“Yea, I'll be glad to get this over and done with.” Charity squeezed her shoulder in response.

“Hey you two” Cain started, opening his arms.

Both Charity and Vanessa fell into his awaiting arms.

“Another day, another funeral” Rhona sighed.

Vanessa plucked herself from Cain’s embrace and nodded, looking around the grounds. “There's so many people here.”

“There's alot of kids from school” Laurel told her. “She didn't have any enemies our Mandy, she got on with everyone.”

“Not _everyone_ apparently..” Cain replied. They all looked away from each other as sadness etched their faces.

“Should we go in…?” Rhona asked.

Taking a deep breath they followed the rest of the mourners into the church.

\-------

A couple of hours later, the group were sitting out by the pool at Charity and Vanessa's house. They hadn't fancied going to the wake with the rest of the funeral goers so decided to have their own little get together in Mandy's honour.

“School's back in session on Monday” Charity started, opening another can of beer.

“I'm kind of glad about that” Laurel replied. “I mean, I know it's frightening to think of this serial killer out there, but while were in school, while were altogether, we're safe.”

“Only in theory” Cain told her. “This bastard has shown us it doesn't matter where you are or how many people are around, he can still get to you if he wants to.”

“I was merely trying to be optimistic.”

Silence filled the back garden, each lost in their own thoughts.

Vanessa was sat with her feet swaying in the pool. Charity was lying next to her, propped up by her elbow. She was running her fingers up and down the blondes arm, hoping it would comfort her. Vanessa turned and looked at her, smiling as their eyes met.

It had been such a rocky time over the last 5 or so months. From the 2 of them eventually getting together, they hadn't been able to enjoy each other, not in the way most couples get to in the first few months of a relationship. The days were passing by them so fast and though they didn't like to admit it, they worried just how many more days they'd get to experience.

“Oh Charity, you know Facebook” Cain started, breaking the deafening silence.

Charity looked over to her friend. “The devils creation?” she told him.

“Blah blah blah” Cain mocked. “If you weren't such an internet retard you'd see a good portion of the world is on that little site. You can get back in touch with friends you haven't seen since you were a kid.”

“Cain, if those people weren't special enough to still be my friend now, why would I be interested in getting back in touch?”

Cain rolled his eyes and faked a yawn, like this wasn't the first time Charity had bored him with this line. “Alright _Grandma_ , well anyway, I got invited to a group from our old high school. There's a reunion being set up by some of the members. I think it'd be pretty sweet to go, don't you think?”

“Did you not just hear what I said?”

“I did, but I'm ignoring it. Come on Charity, it'd be funny to go back and see the old haunts, the old teachers.”

“School reunions are just a place for people to go and show off their exaggerated success, their cars, their looks.” She shook her head. “Can't say I'm interested in that, _dude_.”

“Well I think it would be a good laugh.” He went serious for a minute. “I think we could use some laughter in our lives right now. It's the best kind of medicine.”

Charity looked back to Vanessa who was staring out at the pool.

“I think it's a good idea” Vanessa said, looking to Charity. “Cain's right, you could do with a good laugh. What's better then walking into a hall full of old school friends and enemies, with me on your arm?”

Rhona nodded. “That would definitely turn some heads.”

“Are you saying you'd go with me?” Charity asked the blonde.

She nodded. “Why not? I mean, these school reunions can be pretty big occasions. I could perhaps give it a little write up.”

“Well if you're doing that you'll need your trusty photographer to takes some snaps” Rhona winked.

“Do you want to go so you can take pictures or so you can scout around for rich, successful women Rhona?” Vanessa teased.

“I resent that” Rhona replied, as the rest of the gang laughed knowingly.

“I guess we could do with something to pick us up at bit. 2 funerals in 2 days” Charity said as she shook her head. “It's no good showing this bastard he's scared us into submission. I don't wona feel like a prisoner in my own home!”

“It's the safest thing to do though.” They all turned to the source of the voice. Chas had appeared at the door. She leant against the frame. “At least if we're together in our own houses nothing bad can happen to us…”

Charity was about to reply when Cain started. “So were just meant to confine ourselves to our houses until this idiot’s caught? From the way our luck's going that will be for a very long time.”

“You're right, we have to go on.” Laurel replied. “We have to live our lives. Mandy would kick our arse's if she saw us moping around.”

“She was a tough cookie” Nicola added. “She didn't take shit from anyone.”

Laurel nodded. “But she had a heart of gold.”

“I'd known her since nursery” Nicola continued. “She used to have the biggest birthday parties as a kid.”

“I remember” Moira replied. “I think that's why she was so popular throughout school. The whole class would be invited, it was awesome.”

“Umm, I was never invited” Laurel added sheepishly.

Nicola and Moira looked sideways at each other. “Ugh…” Nicola started. “Well it was never that awesome really, just a kiddies party you know, balloons and cake and a clown…” she trailed off.

Vanessa shuddered slightly. “How about we have no more mentioning of clowns, _period_.”

“I can live with that” Rhona told her.

“And anyway, talking of birthdays, it's my girls here in 2 weeks” Vanessa smiled bringing a hand up to caress Charity's face.

“Not interested” Charity sighed.

Chas smiled for the first time in over a week. “She's always been like that, boring and uncaring about presents.”

Vanessa lifted her feet out of the pool and pivoted on her backside so she was facing the teacher. “She's just never had anyone to celebrate them with is all” she smiled, before leaning down to kiss the blonde's nose.

“Do I smell a birthday party coming on?” Cain said excitedly.

Charity lifted herself off her elbow and arranged her body more comfortably. “Forget it Cain, _no_ party. You do any kind of surprise party and I'll kill you.” Grimacing, she looked at them all apologetically. “Sorry, bad choice of words. I mean it though, no parties.”

“Relax Charity” Vanessa told her. “No surprise party. Maybe a nice meal here though. A BBQ perhaps?”

“That's better” she smiled.

The other's all nodded their agreement.

\-------

A few hours later Vanessa was making her way into the bedroom. Closing the door she turned and walked to the bed where Charity was waiting.

“How's Chas?” she asked.

“She's, _OK_ ” Vanessa replied as she slipped beneath the covers. “She was already half asleep as I was leaving.”

“It's been a tough week for her. She'd only known Paddy a few weeks but I could tell she really liked him. He seemed like a nice enough guy an’all. Such a shame.”

Vanessa rubbed her face as a yawn escaped her mouth.

Charity looked at her thoughtfully. “You look like you could do with a lovely massage.”

“Ohh” Vanessa replied excitedly. “How could I refuse such an offer?” She eagerly lifted her top, discarding it to the floor before unpinning her bra and throwing that too over the bed.

Charity laughed as she watched her girlfriend turn onto her front and ready herself for a nice relaxing rub. Lifting her legs, she straddled the blondes thighs and began a slow knead of the awaiting shoulders. Moans of pleasure were emitted from the reporter’s lips.

“I'm looking forward to getting back to work on Monday” she started. “I think routine is what people need now, especially the kids.”

“They'll all be vigilant, which is good” Vanessa said softly, enjoying the tension being manipulated out of her shoulders. “I'm gona write a few little paragraphs tomorrow about Mandy and Paddy for the Daily Chance.” She sighed. “All I seem to talk or write about lately is down right depressing.”

It had been organised with the head teacher of Rentworth that at least 2 officers would be patrolling throughout the school for the foreseeable future. Many worried parents had voiced their disapproval of allowing their children to attend school once again with this maniac still out there. The school knew that not every student would be back Monday, but for those that did arrive, the staff as well as the authorities wanted them to feel safe.

Fighting against her heavy eyelids, Vanessa turned her head to the side. “Chas said she wants to go home tomorrow.” Charity's hand immediately stopped moving on her back.

“Why?” the teacher asked.

“Well, I told her it was ridiculous but she feels like the 3rd wheel being here. She realises we've hardly had any time to be alone together.”

Charity snorted. “She can't be serious.” Her hands began their work once again on the blondes shoulders. “With everything that's happened she can't think she's getting in the way? I wouldn't want her to be anywhere else…. _alone_ _._ ”

“That's exactly what I told her babe, but she was adamant she wanted to go.”

“I'll talk to her in the morning, tell her she's being an arsehole.”

Vanessa smiled in the crook of her elbow. “You Dingle women are so stubborn.”

Charity smiled at her girlfriend. Trailing her fingers further down the blonde’s body she let them brush lightly down her sides. She let out a throaty laugh as Vanessa began to squirm under her touch.

“Bad touching..” the blonde protested.

Shifting her weight further down the stretched out body beneath her, Charity curled her fingers at the hem of the blondes shorts and began to slide them down. With just the bum cheeks on show, the teacher began to knead the 2 fleshy mounds within her fists.

“No, _this_ is bad touching 'Ness.”

“Mmmmm, I beg to differ” Vanessa started. “That is good touching. _Very_ good touching actually.”

Charity grinned. Kneading the flesh a few more times, she let her hands pull at the shorts again, only this time she pulled them all the way off. Bringing her mouth down to where her hands had been only seconds before, she began leaving wet kisses over each cheek. Her hands began to rub the milky flesh of the blonde’s upper thighs.

“Mmmm” Vanessa sighed.

Shifting her body further up, Charity's face hovered above the blondes head. “Are you still tired, babe?” She didn't need an answer. When Vanessa craned her head to take a closer look up at the teacher, she could see the desire within her eyes.

“Sleep can wait!”

\------


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lighter chapter before things get dark again...

Chapter 10

Almost 2 weeks later and things were beginning to get back into somewhat of a normal routine. There had been no more attacks and people were starting to feel like maybe the ordeal was over. Course, with that said, the killer was still out there. Maybe they were biding their time, planning their next attack.

A few days after Mandy's funeral, Chas had moved back into her own flat. Charity had tried her best to explain what a stupid idea that was, but her stubborn older sister had held firm. After agreeing a few more days, they hadn't talked about it further. That was over a week ago now and as promised, Chas had phoned her sister every night to check in. She'd actually gone back to work and, on occasion had been up to see Vanessa in her office during lunch. The blonde felt more relaxed seeing that Chas was trying her hardest to cope with everything. Work had enabled her to keep her mind off things. Well, _most_ of the time.

Now on Saturday afternoon, Charity and Vanessa were getting everything ready for their guests arriving. The planned BBQ was going ahead this afternoon, the day before Charity's birthday. It worked out for the best as not only was it the weekend, but also because Vanessa had planned a candle lit dinner for just the 2 of them tomorrow night. She had a few things up her sleeve, which didn't include anyone else.

“Knock knock” came a voice from the opening front door.

Vanessa walked into the living room to greet their first guest. “Hey Cain, Moira, come on in.”

“Hey Vanwssa, Tracy's just pulled up with her roommate” Cain replied, carrying a large speaker further into the room.

“Great, Charity's out back…” the blonde replied, heading to the front door to greet her sister.

An hour later, everyone had arrived and were spread out at various parts of the back garden. The beats speakers had been connected up to the CD changer in the kitchen, allowing the music to drift through the open window. Charity had been dishing out burgers and hotdogs from the BBQ for the last 15 minutes, dressed in her large chef hat.

“Why don't you let me take over there Dingle and you go enjoy your party” Cain asked.

Charity was bopping along to the music, swaying her spatula in the air. “I'm fine Cain, I'm having a blast” she told him.

Vanessa was stood in the kitchen, peering out the window. She'd asked Cain to go distract the teacher while she sorted out the cake. Making her way into the living room, she reached behind the couch and pulled out the cooler bag Tracy had brought along with her. Taking it back into the kitchen she opened the zip, revealing a large chocolate fudge brownie cake. Charity's favourite.

She licked her lips in anticipation. It had been special made, with the teachers name iced on the top. Nine candles had been placed around the edges of the cake. Charity's favourite number. Finding a lighter in one of the draws, she began to light each one.

Looking up she caught Cain’s eye and nodded. Turning back to the garden he let out a whistle, catching every ones attention. Charity looked at him and then to the other's as she noticed them come towards her.

“Huh, what’s happenin’?” she asked, looking between them all. Next thing she heard was Vanessa's voice coming from the kitchen. She turned to look at her, realising what was going on.

“Happy Birthday to you” Vanessa started. Everyone else joined in as she continued. “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear” - her name was mixed between Charity and coach - “Happy birthday to you.”

As the song finished, Vanessa stopped in front of the blonde, a wide grin on her face. “Make a wish, babe.”

Looking at the blonde thoughtfully, Charity grinned before closing her eyes, taking a deep breath then releasing it onto the candles. One swift blow was all it took for all wicks to cease burning. A round of cheers came from the party guests.

“What did you wish then coach?”

Charity looked over to Nicola. “You know the drill, if I tell you all then it won't come true, will it…”

“Bet I can guess what it was” Cain said under his breath, winking at the teacher and Vanessa as they flashed him a knowing stare.

As the party continued, Charity seated herself with Cain at a table by the door. He'd been telling her of a caller he'd had live on the air Friday morning. A guy had called in to propose to his girlfriend who he knew would be listening. The studio had rang the girlfriend who’s high pitched squeals as she answered could only be understood by dogs. After settling down slightly, the guy had proposed, to which she accepted.

“You ever thought about proposing to Vanessa?” Cain asked his friend.

“We've only been together about 6 months Cain. Don't you think it's a little too soon to be doing that?”

He shrugged at her. They both looked over to the other side of the pool where Vanessa was talking to her sister and Lori. He looked back at the teacher, seeing a smile form at her lips as she watched the blonde laugh. “When you know you've met the right person for you…” he said. “I don't think it really matters.”

Charity's gaze remained on the blonde. She nodded slightly. “I know I want to spend the rest of my life with her Cain.” She shifted her gaze back to her best friend. “It'll happen… _one day_. One of us will ask.”

“I don't think it will be Vanessa. She seems like the kinda girl who'd like to be asked.”

Charity looked back over to the reporter. Their eyes met causing the teachers heart to skip a beat. Vanessa winked over before returning her gaze to her sister. “I don't know Cain, she's full of surprises.” They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the others around them interact. The group started to filter over, getting comfortable around the table. Vanessa ran her hand over the teacher's shoulders before sitting down in her lap.

Bringing her mouth to Charity's ear she whispered “You having a good time baby?” 

Charity smiled. “I'm having a great time 'Ness, thank you.” She kissed her softly on the cheek.

“So guys” Cain started. “I've added your names to the reunion guest list on Facebook.”

Charity rolled her eyes.

“What about me” Rhona put in.

“Yea, I added your name too, along with Chas and Tracy's. There's already over 200 RSVPs in the group. It's gonna be a packed house.”

“It's amazing how you can set all this up on that site.”

“Load of crap” Charity mumbled under her breath.

Cain heard and faked a yawn. “Seriously Charity, why do you have such a problem with Facebook? Everyone has one nowadays. Organisations use them for marketing and advertising, there's even a film about it.”

“Exactly” she told him. “It's taking over the world. I mean come on, there's more to life than sitting in front of a computer, joining needless groups or liking a status comment.”

“It's cool to chat with friends though coach” Nicola said, joining in the discussion. “I mean, when you get in from school.”

“Yea, I understand that Nicola…” Charity continued. “…it's alright for kid’s coz you know, that's the kind of thing you guys do these days. But for adults, for businesses. I just don't get it. Not to mention all the sick weirdo's out there looking to chat up young girls, false pretences and all that.”

“Yea well, it's here to stay Dingle. The sooner you give into its charm the sooner you can admit it's not so bad.”

“Never.…going.…to happen” Charity finished, making her point.

“So where's this reunion taking place anyway?” Rhona asked, sensing a need to change the subject.

“It's not too far away. It's taking place in a hotel's suite. The Ultionis Manor or something…”

“Ulti-what? Is that even a real place?” Tracy mocked.

Charity rolled her eyes. “It's probably not and Cain here's gonna send us on a wild goose chase.”

“Blah blah” Cain said swaying his head. “I already googled it alright? It's a _real_ place. Actually…” he stopped, a smirk appearing on his lips. “…the place is said to be haunted.”

Vanessa let out an involuntary shiver in Charity's arms. The teacher squeezed her slightly. “He's joking” Charity told her.

“I hope so” the blonde whispered. “We've got enough on our plate with a killer clown out there. We don't need ghosts added to the mix.”

Before Cain could continue with his google findings, Laurel suggested a friendly game of basketball between the group, noticing a hoop above the door on the wall. All in agreement, they helped clear away the table, making room on the spacious patio. Once the area was clear, they divided themselves into teams. Charity, Chas, Nicola, Lori and Laurel were to play against Vanessa, Tracy, Cain, Rhona and Moira.

It wasn't long before they all got into the groove of the game. The score stayed pretty even, both teams taking it in turns to pass and shoot. Charity kept distracting Vanessa, nipping her ass whenever she passed her.

 _Two can play this game_ Vanessa thought to herself after receiving her 3rd bum nip.

Seeing Nicola pass the ball on to Charity, Vanessa moved to retrieve it, only to be blocked as the teacher turned and began backing into her. The teacher dribbled the ball, all the while rubbing her arse up against the blonde’s crotch. “Seem familiar?” she asked over her shoulder. Vanessa placed her hands on Charity's hips, momentarily savouring the contact. Just as she was about to lift her hands to the ball, Charity pushed off, moving toward the hoop. Bouncing the ball a few more times, she lifted herself off the ground, stretching her arms out in search of the hoop. Releasing the ball it floated up before descending into the heart of the net.

“Hooooraahhhhh” Nicola and Laurel shouted.

Charity turned around towards the blonde. She watched her grin before licking her lips.

 _Oh yea, it's on_ she thought.

After a few more set ups, Vanessa was given the ball. She bounced it a few times, lifting her head, she watched as her girlfriend started moving towards her. Before the teacher reached her, she turned around, mimicking Charity's earlier position.

Sensing this was going to happen, Charity grinned, more than happy to play along. She snaked her hands onto the blonde’s hips, pulling them back into her body. She let her chest move forward, pushing her breasts into Vanessa's back. The blonde began to back up slowly, pushing herself more into her girlfriend.

The rest of the group began to roll their eyes. “Come on guys..” Cain started. “..this isn't sex ed 101.”

The girls were oblivious to Cain’s words. They continued rubbing their bodies together. “Ness…” Charity whispered in the blonde's ear. “You feel so good, babe.” She gripped the blonde's hips tighter.

Cain and Tracy looked at one another. Giving a slight nod to each other, they moved towards the pair. “Time to cool off you 2…” Cain said before himself and Tracy pushed the pair into the nearby pool.

The girls were startled out of their teasing as they felt themselves shoved sideways. After crashing into the water, they both resurfaced to the sound of laughter and applause.

“Party poopers” Vanessa muttered, wiping the water from her eyes.

\-------

As the evening wore on, darkness had swept over the town. The party continued out on the patio, with the lights on and the music turned down. Vanessa and Charity lay in each other’s arms on a sun bed looking up at the stars as the conversation's around them continued.

“Ross…” Cain stated.

Both Charity and Vanessa looked over at the Radio DJ, before following his gaze to the side of the house. Cain was stood, shuffling from foot to foot.

“Ugh, hey. I was just doing some patrolling and heard voices. Thought I'd make sure everything was alright.”

Vanessa glanced at Charity, meeting her gaze as she stood up. “Hey Ross, we're just having a little get together. It's Charity's birthday tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. Happy Birthday Charity” he smiled, glancing over to the teacher.

She smiled politely back. “Thanks, Ross.”

Looking around at them all briefly, he began to retreat. “I'll leave you guys to it, just wanted to make sure everything was alright…”

“Wait, Ross..” Vanessa started, moving toward him. “Why don't you stay for a drink?” She looked back at Charity briefly, making sure it was alright with her. Seeing the teacher smile slightly and give a nod, she looked back at her old school friend. This was the first time they'd actually spoken since the night he'd tried to kiss her. It seemed a good a time as any to clear the air.

“Oh, no, it's alright” he told her, continuing to retreat.

“Ross.” Charity started, getting to her feet and walking towards him. Stopping just in front of Vanessa, she smiled over. “Come have a drink, it is my birthday remember. It'd be rude not to….”

Ross stopped walking. Looking at Charity and then to Vanessa, he gave a weak smile. Taking a deep breath he walked back into the garden. “Well, I'd hate to be rude…”

“Beer?” Charity asked.

“Please…”

As Charity moved toward the table of drinks, Ross stood waiting next to Vanessa. They looked at one another, a nervous smile playing at each of their lips. Charity returned, beer in hand for the policeman.

“Thanks..” he said, accepting the offered drink.

“No problem.” Sharing a look with the blonde Charity excused herself. “I'm just gonna go talk to Cain for a minute.”

Turning her attention from the retreating blonde, Vanessa gestured over to some seats by the pool. “Shall we sit?” 

“Sure” he replied, following the blonde.

The group had initially watched the exchange between Ross, Vanessa and Charity, but now as they saw the 2 old school friends sit and begin talking, they turned their attention back to their own conversations. Charity sat with Cain, letting her eye's drift over to the pair every so often.

“So, how've you been?” Vanessa started.

Ross began to pick at the label on his beer. “Ok, thanks. Just been getting on with work stuff you know. It's been pretty quiet on the serial murder case but there's been other little things keeping me busy.”

Vanessa nodded. She hated this uncomfortable atmosphere that surrounded them. She knew the only way to remove it was to talk about their last meeting. “Ross, look….”

“Vanessa, it's OK. I know what you're gonna say. What happened the other week…it was a mistake. I…..I take it you told Charity..?” He looked up at her.

She nodded. “I did.”

He nodded back at her before shifting his gaze to the surface of the pool. “She's being strangely friendly to someone who tried to make out with her girlfriend.”

“She knows you made a mistake and she also knows it won't happen again.”

“It won't” he agreed.

Silence enveloped them again. Why did this have to be so damn awkward? He looked over at her, meeting her stare. “Can we, just forget it happened?”

She smiled at him. “Fine with me..”

He smiled back. “Cool. Gone and forgotten. I value your friendship, Vanessa. You were always a good friend.”

“Damn right” she agreed. They laughed, happy the air was beginning to clear.

“Speaking of good friends. You remember Amy Stewart?”

Vanessa's eyes widened at the sound of a familiar name. “Wow, I haven't heard that name in a few years. Of course I remember her, she was one of us. Well, until she moved down south.”

“Yea. She's still residing in London. She's got herself a job as some sort of data analyst or something. It sounds pretty cool. Always knew she'd make it big…”

Vanessa agreed, remembering how intelligent Amy used to be. She was always good at hacking into the school computers. Something Vanessa had of course wanted nothing to do with. She'd been a great friend of her and Ross’s though.

“Anyway…” Ross continued, breaking Vanessa's thoughts. “…I spoke to her last week. We keep in touch every so often. She's coming up next week. We're meeting up for a drink next Friday. You're welcome to come along if you like.”

“Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude on your get together.”

“Don't be stupid Vanessa, you were just as much her friend as I was. I'm sure she'd love to catch up with you too.”

Vanessa thought for a minute. “Well I guess I could tag along. If it's alright with you?”

He smiled. “Of course it is.” He paused for a minute before continuing. “You could bring Charity along too if you like. Let her meet another one of your geek infested friends…”

Vanessa chuckled. “I'm sure she'd love that. I'll ask her later.”

They chatted for another few minutes before Ross told her he'd better continue with his patrolling. Rejoining the group, Vanessa let Charity know the air was clear and everything was fine. It wasn't long before everyone began to head off home, leaving the teacher and the reporter with the cleaning up.

\--------

The next morning, Charity awoke to the feel of lips, trailing soft wet kisses down her face before settling on her lips. She let out a throaty moan before hearing a chuckle. Opening an eye lid, her blurry eye settled on a wide grin above her.

“Good morning my beautiful birthday girl…”

Sliding her other eyelid open, Charity blinked several times as Vanessa came into focus. She smiled widely as she watched the blonde lean down again to capture her lips.

Pulling back, Vanessa sat at the side of the bed, watching the birthday girl stretch her sleepy body.

“Morning…” Charity yawned, lifting herself up. Suddenly her nostrils flared at a smell coming from outside the bedroom. “Mmmm, bacon…” she grinned.

Vanessa winked. “That's right, bacon, egg, beans, sausage and toast to be exact. I thought my girl could enjoy breakfast in bed this morning.”

Charity rubbed her hands together, excitedly. “You spoil me 'Ness. You know I love a bit of sausage” she said with a wink.

“Nonsense, it's your birthday. It's _your_ day. Which also means we get to do anything you want. Well, until 4 o'clock. Then you've gotta go to Chas's til 7.”

The teacher cocked an eyebrow. “How come?”

“Well, let's just say I need to get things organised for dinner tonight. I want it to be a surprise and that can't happen if you're here now can it…” she smiled.

“Hmmm. You're sneaky, and I'm intrigued.”

The smaller blonde wiggled her eyebrows before getting up off the bed. “I'll be right back with breakfast. Have a think about what you fancy doing today.”

Charity sat back on the pillows, eagerly anticipating the day ahead. Her mind drifted back to a conversation she and Vanessa had last night in bed. The blonde had indulged her on the chat with Ross at the party last night. She'd been told about the get together with this old friend who lived in London. Unfortunately, Charity had a parent teacher meeting on Friday and wouldn't be done til around 8:30. She'd told Vanessa to go on without her and enjoy catching up.

She hadn't admitted this to Vanessa, but there was something niggling at the back of her mind. She wasn't entirely convinced Ross was being completely honest about this meet up. Thinking it best not to cause any fuss, she decided to keep it to herself. Ross had been put in his place now. There was no reason for her to worry.

A few minutes later, Vanessa appeared at the door carrying a large tray of food. Setting it down on the side of the bed, she climbed on herself, crossing her legs just in front of where Charity was sitting.

“Ness this looks delicious. Thank you.” She leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on the blonde’s lips.

“So, have you had any thoughts on what you want to do today?”

Picking up a sausage, the teacher took a bite as she thought on. “Well” she started, mid chew. “Perhaps we could go to the cinema? Then we could go for a walk in the park? Enjoy the some fresh air and sunshine.'

“Sounds perfect, Charity.”

\--------

Checking her face in the mirror one last time, Vanessa glanced over at the clock - 6.50pm. Charity would be back any minute now. She'd given the teacher strict instructions to go to her sisters and not return until 7 that night. Packing a few bits and pieces to change into, Charity had left with just the smallest hint of a pout.

They'd had a lovely afternoon together. The film they’d seen had been excellent, quite dark and twisted, but the acting had been nothing short of awesome. They'd given each other teasing glances throughout the films’ girl on girl make out session. The atmosphere within the movie theatre had definitely gotten warmer from that point on.

Afterwards as planned, they'd headed to the park. It had been a sunny afternoon so it had been quite busy. Families had enjoyed time together over a picnic or partaking in some sort of activity. They'd loved walking hand in hand along the side of the lake. It felt great being able to be fully relax in public for the first time since all the terrifying attacks had taken place. _Finally,_ things were as they should be.

They'd arrived home just before 3. Charity had been hoping to charm the blonde into some sexy time before she had to head off to Chas's. Though very tempted, Vanessa had declined, telling the teacher she'd have to wait til later tonight, let the tension build up a little more. Charity had mumbled something about the movie they'd just seen, but Vanessa hadn't quite understood the ramblings. She had a good idea of what she'd meant though.

After waving Charity off to her sister's, she's grabbed her keys and headed into town. Picking up the teacher's present, she'd stopped off to buy an expensive bottle of wine before heading home again.

Walking out of the bedroom, Vanessa headed towards the kitchen. She'd spent the last few hours cooking a chicken picatta, Charity's favourite meal. Though Charity was an expert in making the Italian dish, Vanessa's wasn't a bad replica. She'd set up the dining table, the silver cutlery sitting upon a silky red cloth. Candles had been placed and lit around various parts of the house. It was still light out so she'd drawn all the curtains early, wanting to set the perfect mood.

She had a little surprise tucked away in the bedroom for later tonight. A smile played at her lips as she imagined Charity's reaction. Her lower stomach began to tingle in anticipation. Shaking her head of all thoughts, she went over to the oven. Opening the door she glanced at the food. Closing it, she turned the heat off just as she heard the front door open. Her heart fluttered.

“Honey, I'm home…”

Walking out of the kitchen, the blonde made her way to the living room. “Hey babe, welcome.”

Catching sight of Vanessa, the teacher did a double take. Her mouth slightly a gape, she let out a whistle. “Ness, you look hot as hell….”

The blonde smiled, coming closer to Charity. She'd opted to wear a short blue dress, something she knew would highlight her eyes. The material dipped into the crease of her breast, giving the teacher more than a generous eyeful. “You look gorgeous too, babe” she replied before leaning into to kiss the blonde's ever inviting lips. Charity had taken a simple black dress to change into at Chas's along with some knee high boots. She knew they were just staying in tonight, but she still wanted to give the reporter something good to look at.

Tearing her eyes from the blonde, Charity's eye's wondered around the room. “Ness, wow. You've been busy.”

“Just something I threw together” the smaller blonde replied. “Come, take a seat. Dinner's almost ready.”

Charity followed her over to the table. The blonde pulled out a seat to which the teacher gratefully took. “Is that smell what I think it is?”

Running a hand over Charity's back, Vanessa walked towards the kitchen. “Maybe” she threw over her shoulder.

Charity sat with her hands on the table. She hadn't known what to expect tonight. She'd spent the last few hours sitting, fidgeting at Chas's, who of course had found her very amusing. Excited butterflies had danced around her stomach and still fluttered as she sat there waiting to be served. Vanessa had obviously gone through a lot of trouble to organise things for her.

The blonde reappeared with 2 full plates in her hands. A wide smile appeared on Charity’s mouth and she jiggled slightly in her seat. As the blonde set the plate in front of the teacher, she lowered her head and captured the birthday girls lips. Pulling back, she looked deep into her hazel eyes. 'La cena se sirve' she told her.

Charity chuckled as she watched the blonde settle her own plate down. 'Someone's been onto google translate again…'

Vanessa winked before going back into the kitchen. She reappeared a few seconds later with the opened bottle of champaign. She poured some into Charity's glass before filling her own.

“Thanks babe, this is looks amazing.”

Sitting herself down, Vanessa looked over to the woman in front of her. “You're welcome Charity. I wanted to do something nice for you, this being the first birthday we've celebrated together.”

“It's perfect” the teacher praised.

Raising her glass, Vanessa waited for Charity to do the same. “To the start of a great night” she toasted.

“Just the start…?” Charity enquired.

Vanessa grinned. “Just the start.”

\-------

With the dinner finished, they made their way over to the couch. Her stomach full, Charity sat with her head fallen into the cushion behind. Vanessa's hand stroked her midriff.

“Is your belly still full baby?'”

Charity turned her head to the side, looking at the blonde. “It's settling now” she smiled. “It was so nice I just couldn't leave any.”

Vanessa brought her hand up, running her fingers through Charity's hair. She was glad her meal had gone down a treat. Taking a sip of her champaign, she set the glass down on the table in front of the couch.

“So, would you like your present now?”

Charity's head popped up from the cushion. “My present? You mean the candle lit meal wasn't my present?”

Vanessa giggled. “No dafty, that was your meal. Wait right here.” Tapping the teacher’s knee, she got up and headed into the bedroom.

Setting her own glass down on the table, Charity sat up on the couch, excitement coursing through her veins at the unexpected gift she was about to receive. A few moments later Vanessa reappeared with a rectangular velvet box. Sitting herself down again, Vanessa put the box in the teachers lap. “What's this?” Charity asked, running a finger over the velvet casing.

Vanessa shrugged her shoulders, a small smile playing at her lips. “Open it..”

Grasping at the offered box, Charity opened the flap. Two identical gold necklaces came into view. A heart was hanging from each of the necklaces.

As Vanessa watched Charity open the box, her hand snaked around to the teachers back where she began to stroke the covered skin. “I had them special made” she started. “There's an engraving on the side of each heart.” She watched Charity bring the box closer to her face, looking for the engraving. “I wasn't sure what to get to be honest, but then I had an idea” she continued. “I wanted to give you something as a sign of commitment. To show you how much you mean to me. So then I thought, perhaps you could wear that, then where ever you are, whatever you're doing….you know that you're carrying my heart with you.”

Charity looked from the necklace to Vanessa. Her eyes were glistened with tears as she listened to the blonde's speech.

Vanessa smiled shyly back at her. “And I hope that you'll let me carry yours..”

Smiling widely, Charity leaned in, crushing her lips to the blondes. Grasping the box with her right hand, she brought her left hand up to cup Vanessa's neck, pulling her more into the kiss. She felt Vanessa's tongue snake over her lips before delving into her opened mouth. After a few moments, Charity pulled back, a few stray tears had escaped her lids.

“I love you, Ness” she beamed. “These are beautiful and of course you can. You've had my heart since the day I met you!”

They grinned goofily at each other a few moments longer before looking back at the necklaces. Carefully, Charity began extracting one of the necklaces. Laying it in her hand, she brought it closer to face. “Ever thine, Ever mine, Ever ours” was engraved around the outskirts of the heart. She smiled warmly before turning to the blonde. “Help me put it on?”

The blonde nodded. Taking the necklace, she undid the clasp. The teacher turned, lifting the hair from her neck. Reaching around Charity's neck, Vanessa carefully redid the clasp. Laying her hands on the teacher’s shoulders, she leaned it, kissing the back of her neck. Moving her mouth up to her ear she whispered “Do me..?”

Charity shivered slightly at the feel of the blonde's breath washing over her neck. Letting go of her hair she turned to the blonde, who turned around. Mimicking Charity's actions, she lifted her hair and waited for the teacher to fasten the thin chain around her neck.

Necklace in place, Charity trailed her hands over the smaller woman’s shoulders and down her arms. She leaned in, wrapping her lips around a patch of skin, sucking at it lightly. The reporter leaned into the touch, her eye's closing. The teacher's lips moved further to Vanessa's sweet spot….behind her ear. Reaching her destination she sucked a little harder, elicited a deep moan from the blonde. Just as Charity moved her hands to cup the blondes breasts, Vanessa leaned forward and extracted herself from the embrace. Momentarily startled at the loss of contact Charity looked up at her, a pout on her lips.

Turning, Vanessa grinned down at the pouting birthday girl. “Give me 5 minutes…” she told her before leaning down and capturing her lips one last time. Standing, she winked then back tracked to the bedroom once again.

Charity watched in her wake for a few moments.

_What's she doing in there?_

Picking up her glass she sipped on her champaign. Leaning back into the couch she brought her other hand up and began to fondle the necklace between her fingers. She smiled to herself, her heart almost bursting with love for her girlfriend. She lay her head back on the cushion and closed her eyes. Never in her life had she had a birthday this good.

“Charity?”

Startled, the teacher opened her eyes, lifting her head to the source of the voice. Focusing on the blonde who stood leaning against the door frame, her mouth dropped open. Her eye's trailed over the body in front of her.

“Va….I….ugh…”

Smiling, Vanessa pushed off the door frame and made her way towards the stuttering teacher. Standing in front of her she watched as Charity drank in her appearance.

She'd popped into town the week to get Charity’s gift and happened to pass by another that shop that caught her eye. After ordering the necklaces she'd popped into a sex shop to see what they had to offer. Her mind made up this afternoon, she'd gone in and bought a black and blue satin lace corset. It included underwire push up cups, making her breasts not only look bigger, but had them almost hanging out of their padding. She wore matching satin lace panties with a lace up front. Detachable garters covered her long milky legs.

She'd felt slightly self-conscious buying it and then again when she tried it on this afternoon. She wasn't sure if this would appeal to the teacher, but looking at Charity now….seeing the reaction it was causing, she found herself mentally patting herself on the back. She leaned down, watching Charity's eyes stray to her chest. “See something you like baby?”

With an audible gulp, Charity shifted her gaze back up to the blonde's aroused blue orbs. “Yes…” was all she could muster.

Smiling, Vanessa reached for the temporarily astounded teachers hands and lifted her off the couch. Once on her feet, Charity leaned her body into the blondes. She leaned in to capture her lips, but the reporter pulled away.

“Nu uh” Vanessa scolded.

Letting go of the teachers hands, she turned and began walking out of the room. Reaching the door frame she turned her head, looking back at the stationary teacher. “Are you coming to bed Charity?” Without waiting for an answer she continued her trek out of the room.

Charity didn't need to be asked twice. Moving her feet swiftly, she retraced the blonde’s steps. Making it to the bedroom she stopped just inside the door. Vanessa stood at the foot of the bed, hands on her hips looking back at her. Swallowing the excess fluid in her mouth, Charity took a few tentative steps forward. Her heart began to pound. She didn't know what the blonde had in mind, but boy was she ready for it. Stopping a couple of steps in front of Vanessa, Charity looked at her, silently asking her what the next move was to be.

Shifting her feet a few steps to the side, Vanessa never took her eyes from the teachers. “Sit down on the bed Charity…”

Without hesitation Charity stepped forward and turning, she seated herself at the foot of the bed. A few moments later Vanessa knelt down at the teachers knees. She looked up into the green eyes before her. Bringing her hands up to Charity's shoulders she began trailing them down her body, her blue eye's never leaving brown. The hands roamed over the outside of her breasts, over her stomach then they came together at the top of the teacher’s right hip. She slowed the pace as her trail continued down a muscled thigh. Reaching the top of Charity's knee high boot she found the zip. Bring the leg up, the teachers foot was placed on her shoulder. She began sliding the zip down at an excruciatingly slow pace.

A smile played at her lips as she saw Charity swallow hard. Her own heart was hammering in her chest. She was so turned on right now, but she wanted this intensity to last as long as possible. With the zip at its destination, she slipped the leather boot off, throwing it to the floor. Placing the bare foot back on the ground she repeated the gesture with the other boot.

Once the boots were off, Vanessa got to her feet. “Stand up…”

Doing as she was told, Charity stood, her body brushing up against the blondes.

“Good girl” Vanessa told her. Bending her knee's slightly, the blonde stroked her fingers on the skin just beneath Charity's dress line. She lowered her gaze to the neck in front of her. Leaning in she wrapped her lips around a patch of skin and began to suck. Her hands began to slide up the toned thighs, bringing the dress along with them. She felt the taller blonde twitch beneath her. With the dress lifted just below her breasts, she pulled her mouth away from her neck and looked back into Charity's eyes. “Lift your arms.”

Bringing her arms up, Charity closed her eyes momentarily as the dress was lifted from her body. Opening them once again she saw the blonde step back and study her.

“Take your bra off for me Charity.”

Twisting her hands behind her back, Charity did as instructed, fumbling with the clasp of her bra. She did this everyday what was so tough about it?

_Well usually I don't have_ _Vanessa_ _staring at me dressed as a dominatrix durrr. Ok, now I'm talking in my head and she's cocking an eyebrow at me. Smooth_ _Dingle_ _, real smooth_ _._

“Do you need a hand, babe” Vanessa asked.

“No….no, I….got it' she said as the bra finally separated. Sliding the straps down her arms, she let it drop to the ground.

Vanessa gazed at the perfect figure in front of her. God she wanted to just run into the teacher’s arms and take her right now. But no. Not yet. Taking a couple of steps forward, she got on her knees once again in front of Charity's body. Lifting her hands, she slid her fingers beneath the top of the teachers own lacy panties. Slowly she began to slide the garment down. She could smell the teacher’s arousal already. Pulling the panties down further she could see the arousal quite clearly, seeping through her lovers lips. She had to restrain herself from leaning into taste her.

Charity felt unsteady having the blonde so close to where she needed her the most, feeling her hands stroking down her legs. She took a deep breath, having a feeling the blonde wanted to draw this out a lot longer then she felt she'd last. Feeling her panties reach her ankles she stepped out of the garment before watching the blonde get back to her feet.

Vanessa brought her face just inches from Charity's. She felt the teacher’s breath wash over her face. Steadying her own breath she smiled. “You're doing so good Charity. Go lie down on the bed for me will you?”

Turning her body, Charity lowered herself before crawling up to the head of the bed. Vanessa's eye's strayed to Charity's arse, watching as it swayed up the bed. Taking a deep breath, she moved on to the mattress herself. Once Charity was settled on her back, the blonde lifted her own leg, straddling the blonde's hips.

Their eye's connected, both seeing the intense hunger deep within. “You are so beautiful Charity” the reporter praised.

“You're the beautiful one, Vanessa.”

Leaning down, the blonde hovered her face above Charity's. She looked into her eyes briefly before capturing her lips in a hungry embrace. Her tongue poked out and thrust into Charity's awaiting mouth. The kiss deepened, their need clear to see. Never pulling out of the kiss, Vanessa grasped Charity's arms, lifting them to the headboard. She felt Charity begin to lift her hips in wanting.

Pulling out of the kiss she stared down at the teacher. Their breaths mingled in the space between them. Removing her hands from Charity's arms, she placed them on the mattress, allowing herself to shuffle slightly down the teacher’s thighs.

Charity watched her sink lower. “Vanessa…..babe, _I need you._ ”

The blonde smirked slightly. “I'm right here Charity. I'm right here…' She shifted her gaze to the 2 mounds on the taller woman’s chest. Taking each within her palm she began squeezing them together forcibly. Her mouth reached down, grasping a nipple between her lips before sucking as much of the breast into her mouth as she could.

“Ohhh” Charity moaned, lifting her chest up to the blonde's touch. She brought her hands down, grasping at blonde hair.

Vanessa grabbed the teacher’s hands that tugged at her hair and lifted them up to the headboard again. “Keep them there” she warned. Lowering her head once more, she feasted on the mounds, biting at the flesh before soothing it with her tongue. She continued this a few moments longer before sitting herself up. She locked eyes once again with the writhing teacher beneath. “What do you want Charity?”

Charity's breath hitched as she tried to speak. Sucking in a lung full of air she tried again. “I want to touch you Ness, and I want to feel you inside me.”

It was hard for the blonde to resist such a request. But she did. Tonight was about Charity. She wanted Charity to feel as much pleasure as she possibly could.

“Not yet Charity. Not yet…”

Leaning down again, Vanessa let her hand glide down between their bodies to Charity's wet centre. Her finger slid through the puffy folds, from top to bottom. Prodding gently, she pushed one finger deeper. Charity's hands were grasping at the bed sheets above her head as she thrust her hips in an attempt to make Vanessa's finger penetrate her more deeply.

“Is this what you want Charity?” Vanessa twisted her head, bringing her mouth to the teacher’s ear. Her tongue swirled around its edges before dipping in. “It's not, is it babe? You want more, don't you? Filling you.” 

“Please…'Ness…” Charity managed to get the words out between gasps. Having the blonde's finger just sitting there, barely in, was driving her crazy.

Bringing her finger out, Vanessa began sliding 2 fingers through the wetness, teasing the clit before sliding further down again. Suddenly, she thrust them all the way into Charity's opening. The teacher’s hips jerked violently as the blonde continued to thrust in and out. Vanessa grinned. Charity was so hot like this, legs spread, lying naked on the bed with this completely lust filled look to her as she threw her head back and moaned.

“Ohhh, Vanessa, shit…” Charity's eyes were clenched shut. “More...I need more…” 

Vanessa lifted her head, looking down at the gasping teacher below her. Planting her mouth on Charity's, she slid her tongue into the opened mouth and at the same time she slid a third and then a fourth finger into Charity's tight centre. She twisted her arm slightly, making sure she was stroking the extra-sensitive clit with her thumb.

“Oh, FUCK!” Charity screamed, almost jerking her body off the bed. “Ness, that...feels...so...good!” Her hands moved to claw on the blondes back.

A few more thrusts and Vanessa knew Charity was about to go over the edge. Engaging herself from the teacher, she slid down her body, never taking her hand from its hot, wet cocoon. With her hand still violently thrusting into Charity, her mouth latched onto the throbbing clit above, sucking it into her mouth.

Charity screamed, her walls clenching tightly to Vanessa's fingers as the release shot through her body. The smaller blonde never relented. She continued to flick her tongue over the convulse clit, her fingers still massaging the slick walls. Charity grabbed at her hair, pulling Vanessa's face on to her as she thrust into her mouth. Eventually the reporter slowed to a stop.

Charity lay gasping for air for several moments. Almost recovered, she looked down at the blonde. Reaching for her, she grinned. “I love you Ness. You're amazing. The things you do to me. Just... _wow_!” 

Climbing up Charity's body, she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and gave her a smile. “I love you too….but I'm not done with you yet, Charity…”

\--------


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The following Friday Vanessa was sipping a glass of wine at home before heading off to meet Ross and Amy. The week following Charity's birthday night had flown by. There'd still been no leads on the murder cases, along with no more attacks. The town seemed to have resumed its normal routine, everyone believing or more so _hoping_ that the ordeal was over.

Downing the last of her wine, Vanessa took the glass over to the sink, rinsing it beneath the warm tap. It had been decided she would meet Ross and Amy at the Crane for 19.30. After not seeing Amy for the best part of 7 or so years, she was feeling slightly apprehensive. The girl she knew all those years ago had apparently turned into this huge computer expert in London. She'd had herself a glass of wine, just to settle the nerves.

Turning from the sink she looked at her watch. 7:15. Going back into the living room she retrieved her mobile from her bag, deciding to send Charity a quick text.

_Hey bab_ _e_ _, I'm heading off now - hope the meetings not too boring for you! I won’t be late, love you xx_

Hearing a horn sound outside, the blonde looked out of the window to see a taxi at the kerb. Throwing the mobile back in her back she took one last look around the room before heading out the door.

Ten minutes later she headed into the quiet club. Glancing around, she spotted Ross leaning over the bar. He turned and waved her over.

“Hey, glad you could make it” he said as the blonde approached.

“Hi, thanks! I finished at 5 so I've had a couple of hours at home.”

Ross nodded. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Oh, urmm, I'll have a red wine please…”

“Coming right up.” Turning back to the barman he placed his order. “Amy isn't here yet” he said, looking back at the blonde.

Vanessa nodded, turning to scan the club. “She probably looks a lot different from what I remember.”

“You'd be surprised actually” he told her. “I've Skype'd with her a few times, she's still that perky redhead she always was. Her hairs a lot shorter now though.”

Picking up their drinks they walked further into the club in search of an empty table. Finding one in the corner, they took their seats and got into an easy conversation of old school stories.

“Do you remember when we were 12..” Ross started. “That guy Andrew, the one that absolutely stunk?”

Vanessa wrinkled her nose. “Yea, poor guy. Wasn't fond of a shower” she replied, stifling a giggle.

“The guy did himself no favours. I remember one day you coming over to me saying he'd told you and Amy to follow him to the bunk behind school…you remember?”

“Oh my god” Vanessa gasped. “He showed us his.. _.thing_!”

Ross threw back his head in laughter. “Yea. The 2 of you ran straight over asking me to punch him. I told you I did, however….that wasn't really my kinda thing…”

Vanessa shook her head. “Damn, you know that may have been the turning point for me. If I hadn't been gay before….” she laughed.

“I can definitely see a trigger there…” Ross agreed.

A buzz followed by a jingle was emitted from inside Vanessa's bag. Putting her drink down, she retrieved her cell.

_Hey beautiful, I'm so bored here. Wish I was home already. Hope you're having a good time catching up! Love you!xx_

“Everything alright?” Ross enquired.

“Oh yea” the blonde replied, putting her phone down on the table. “It's Charity. Poor thing has to work late tonight. There's a teacher/parent thing going on. She's bored out of her mind.”

“Ah, I see!”

“I'm just gonna pop to the toilet” she told him. Getting up she walked over the dance floor to the restrooms.

Ross watched her walk away. Seeing her disappear around the corner, he looked down at her mobile. Unlocking the screen saver he pressed in the power button, watching as the screen went black. Putting it back down on the table he looked back in the direction of the toilets.

 _Don't need you texting her all night Ms_ _Dingle_ he thought.

He felt it was almost time to break the bad news to Vanessa. Their old friend Amy had needed to book an early train home on Wednesday, due to a disaster at work. Ross had decided not to mention this to the blonde, hoping she would still come out for a drink with him. After receiving a text from Vanessa a couple of days after the BBQ, he'd found out Charity wouldn't be tagging along. This had given him the perfect opportunity to spend some alone time with the blonde yet again.

His gaze still directed at the toilets, he watched the blonde round the corner and come toward him. As she made herself comfortable he finished off the last of his beer. “I wonder where Amy is..”

Ross looked at her non-chalantly. “Yea, I guess her time keeping isn't as great as her computer skills.”

“Right…” she agreed.

“I'd put this back in your bag” he said, picking up her phone and moving it to the zip on her bag. “Someone could easily swipe it off the table.”

“Oh god yea, thanks officer.” She let him drop it in her bag before doing up the zip.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, he stood up. Right Woodfield, time for another round. I'll be right back!” He disappeared over to the bar, not bothering to ask her what she wanted.

A few minutes later he returned with 4 shot glasses in his hands. The blonde eye balled him. “Oh my god, what are they?”

He grinned. “This Vanessa, is a Zombie and a Kamikaze.”

She laughed nervously. “Ugh, Ross I'm not much into hardcore drinking. I'm kind of a lightweight.”

He waved his hand. “Nonsense, besides, these aren't that strong. The trick is to just throw your head back and let it slide down your throat. Look, I'll show you.” Picking up a Kamikaze shot, he thrust the liquid down his throat before slamming the glass down on the table. “See, nothing to it.”

“I don't know Ross…”

“Don't be such a wimp Vanessa. Let your hair down, it's Friday night.”

Looking between Ross and the shot she took a deep breath. She had a feeling this was going to be a very bad idea. Grasping the shot glass, she brought it to her nose first, taking a few quick sniffs.

Ross laughed. “You don't sniff it woman, come on, down it.” He began tapping on the table, chanting her name.

Tilting her head back she turned the glass, pouring the liquid into her mouth. She squeezed her eyes closed as it spread like fire down her throat. Swallowing, she let out a few coughs before regaining the ability to talk again. “Oh my god that was repulsive” she laughed.

“Not bad for a first timer” Ross complimented. “Now for the Zombie's. Come on, let's do it together.”

“Urm, I'm curious” the blonde started. “Why is it called the _Zombie_?”

Ross thought for a second. “Ugh, I think it's coz it tastes like your licking a corpse.”

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “Right, Ok, so remind me again why I'd wonna try that?”

“Because….” he started, lifting the glass to her face. “…it's fun!”

Taking the glass from Ross's hand, she watched him raise his own.

“Ready” he asked. “After 3. 1...2...3.”

\----

An hour and a half later, they were sat at the same table drinking vodka and cokes. After coming back from the bar with their current drinks, Ross had told Vanessa that Amy wouldn't be coming. He'd continued his lie, telling her that a family emergency had come up. The blonde had been disappointed, but due to the considerable amount of drink Ross had already fed her, she was happy enough sitting here catching up on old times with her friend.

“So Ross” the blonde started. “Tell me about your wife…”

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “What do you want to know?”

She shrugged her shoulders, her obvious merry state reaching her eye's as her head bobbed slightly. “I don't know. Just….what's she like? Why did you really break up?”

Ross nodded to himself. He didn't really want to be talking about his wife tonight. Caving in, he decided to explain it in a nutshell. “Well basically, she has a few….. _mental_ _health_ problems. She'd kept them from me until after we married. When we were dating, with my job and other circumstances, we didn't spend a considerable amount of time together, so I never really saw this new side of her until we started living together. She'd been diagnosed as a sociopath, with a tendency to be a bit ADHD.”

“Oh, Ross I'm sorry…” the blonde started.

He waved his hand at her. “Don't worry about it. I mean, it wasn't easy….living with someone who lacked the ability to really love me. It was always about her. It didn't matter how much I tried to get her to see things from my perspective. She felt no guilt or remorse.” He paused for a second. “There were a few times she….hit me. I let it slide coz I knew she didn't mean it. She couldn't show me that she was sorry, but I knew she was.”

“Ross, that must have been so hard for you…”

He nodded. “It just got to a point where I couldn't live with it anymore, you know? To outsiders we were the perfect couple. She seemed well enough to put an act on in public. But behind closed doors….”

Vanessa reached over the table, putting her hand on his arm. “Well you seem much better out of it now.”

He looked at the hand on his arm and smiled. Looking up he nodded. “I am.”

Retracting her arm, she sat back in her chair. She could feel her head spinning already. “I should maybes head back. I can feel the floor moving beneath me” she laughed.

A flash of irritation passed over Ross’s face but disappeared before Vanessa could see it. “Vanessa, it's not long after 9:30.” He stood up, picking up the jacket flung over the back of his seat. “Come on, let's get something to eat. There's a Chinese a few doors down.”

“Oh Ross I don't know…”

He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed slightly. “I'm starving Vanessa. You don't want me to eat alone, do you?”

Looking up at him through tipsy eyes she smiled. “No, no, I wouldn't want you to eat alone. I'll send Charity a text, let her know I'll be in a bit later.”

He grasped her hand in his own. “Who is she, your _m_ _u_ _m_? Woodfield, you're a grown woman. Besides she's probably still at work.”

Standing up she pondered what to do. “I guess you're right. She'll ring me if she's worried.”

He grinned. “That's the spirit.” With her hand still firmly in his grasp, he led them out of the club.

\--------

As her programme finished, Charity shut off the TV and looked at the clock….11pm. She hadn't heard from Vanessa since receiving that text just after 7. She'd sent a couple of texts over the last 2 hours, making sure the blonde was alright and asking if her friend Amy was the snobby cow Vanessa had thought she might be.

Figuring she was having a good catch up, Charity decided to leave her be. Getting up from the couch the teacher picked up her mobile and wondered into the bedroom. Putting her phone down on the bedside table she sank beneath the inviting covers.

 _She'll be in soon_ she thought.

\-------

Fumbling with the door, Vanessa finally slotted the key into the lock and turned it. Opening the door, she stumbled forward, only staying on her feet as 2 strong arms caught her.

“Oooopsie” she giggled.

Ross grinned, putting her arm over his shoulder. “Steady now Woodfield, don't want you landing on your arse.”

“No, that would def…..defin…. _defin_ _utly_ be a silly thing to do” she slurred back, unable to form coherent words. Her legs wobbled as she stepped into the house.

Closing the door behind them, Ross never let go of his grip on the blonde. He saw her head bobble up and down as she tried to remain awake. Seeing the couch to their left he guided her over. He sat them down in the middle of the cushions. Vanessa immediately sank sideways into the couch, letting out a content sigh. “Home” she smiled, closing her eyes.

A smile played at Ross's lips. Standing, he turned and lifted her legs up onto the couch. Bending down he brought his hand up to brush away the blonde locks from her closed eyes.

“Charity…” she slurred.

He stiffened slightly at the sound of the teacher’s name. He continued to stroke the blonde’s hair. His caresses moved down to her face as his hand trailed over her cheek til he had it gripped in his palm. He hesitated briefly before leaning in. His lips brushed gently across the blondes.

Vanessa's eye's remained closed as she almost completely lost her battle with sleep. Feeling lips brush against her own she reciprocated the kiss.

Ross let the kiss deepen slightly, poking his tongue out to slide across….

“What the hell do you think you're doing?”

Ross jerked his face away from the blonde's as he glanced over his shoulder. There stood Charity at the door way to the living room, her face a canvas of fury.

At the sound of Charity's voice, Vanessa lazily opened her eyes. Her mind had switched off the second her head had hit the cushion. She turned her head to the side, just in time to see the teacher storm towards Ross, who had begun to straighten himself up at her side. She watched as Charity grasped the front of his top and pushed him up against the wall by the front door. Suddenly feeling more awake Vanessa pulled herself up, albeit with great difficulty.

“Charity…what are, what ar….are you…” she slurred.

“Answer me Ross, I said what the hell do you think you're doing??” Charity spat at him.

Before he could answer, Vanessa stumbled over to the pair, putting her hand on the teachers shoulder. “Charity, let….him….go, right _now_.” Charity made no attempt to let him loose. “Charity…” the blonde repeated. “I said let him go…”

Charity glanced at the blonde over her shoulder. “He kissed you Vanessa.” She looked back at the startled police man. “After what happened last time he has the audacity to come into my home and do it again!” She tightened her grip on his clothes, pushing him further in to the wall.

“Don't be pro….pro…posterous. He did not certainly kiss me” the blonde slurred again, waving her head theatrically. “He brought me” hiccup “home and here I am, now put him down.”

Rage coursing through her veins as she stared into Ross’s eyes, Charity held on to him a few seconds longer before releasing her hold. She leant down to her side, gripping the door handle. Opening it she grabbed a handful of his top and pulled him over the threshold. “You're not welcome here Ross…”

“Charity” the blonde protested, attempting to move closer to the door. “Stop this….this….silliness…”

“If I see or hear that you've crossed the line one more time…”

“Charity!”

Hearing Vanessa shout her name from inside the door, Charity didn't bother finishing her sentence. Maybe it was for the best. No good would have come from it. Staring the police man down a few seconds longer, she turned and went back into the house. Slamming the door she looked at the blonde who stood with a hand placed on the side of the couch, keeping herself balanced. She looked pissed…..in both senses of the word.

“How dare you, how _hiccup_ dare you do that Charity. You pinned him against the wall…”

Charity’s arms were up in the air. “Are you kidding me Vanessa? He was _kissing_ you!”

“I think I would know if he'd kissed me Charity…” The blonde moved from her position, stumbling forwards towards the teacher.

“I walked in on it Vanessa. He was bent down beside you and his lips were on yours. In fact, it looked like you were actually reciprocating it…”

The blonde threw her hands in the air. “This again” she slurred. “How many times Charity. I go out with my friends and you get like this…”

“It's 2:30 in the morning.” Charity shouted.

“So I have a curfew _hiccup_ do I, Ms Dingle?” the blonde spat, padding from one foot to another. “What are you gonna do, give me detention for being late?” Her body swung as she attempted to walk toward the hallway.

“Be serious Vanessa..” Charity replied, watching her girlfriend stumble towards the bedroom.

“No, I'm being complete-er-lerely serious here” she stuttered. “I can't be bothered with this discussion anymore. I'm going to bed.”

With that she staggered out into the hallway and along to the bedroom. Making it over to the bed, she sat down and began removing her shoes with clumsy hands. Digging her way at the edges of the covers she dropped into bed. With her body finally still, her spinning head finally went blank as she succumbed to sleep.

\-----

The next morning Vanessa awoke to a mind numbing headache. It felt like someone had actually taken a baseball bat to the side of her head. Correction, make that several baseball bats. It didn't stop there though. Flat out on her stomach, her whole body quivered painfully. Not thinking she could lift her head she opened her eyes, gazing over at the clock on her nightstand. It took a few seconds to focus her blurry eyes but as soon as they landed on the digits they shot open.

12:23

She cringed. What the hell had she done last night? She never slept in this late. With a lot of effort she lifted her thumping head, glancing at the other side of the bed. It was empty. She let her head flop back down to the pillow. Flashes of last night’s activities started to come back into her mind. She met with Ross and Amy. No, Amy hadn't come. So, she and Ross drank. They drank _a lot_. Her face creased. Why did she have so much to drink? It wasn't something she usually enjoyed doing.

 _That_ _Ross is_ _a bad influence_ she thought.

What happened after that? Searching her brain, images of Ross being pinned against the wall came into focus. By….by Charity. Charity had thrown him against the wall. She frowned. Why? Charity said Ross had kissed her. That was ridiculous. They'd been over this before, he wouldn't do it again. She didn't remember him kissing her. But why would Charity say he did?

Without warning a wave of sickness reached the blondes throat. “Oh crap” she squeaked. Throwing a hand to her mouth, she fumbled with the covers and almost fell off the mattress as she made for the toilet.

Ten minutes later she emerged back from the bathroom, feeling empty and weak. Gingerly, she made her way out the bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen.

“Charity” she croaked.

There was no answer. Making it to the kitchen she walked over to the sink. Picking up a glass she filled it to the rim with cold water. Proceeding to gulp the full contents, she turned mid swallow, her eye's landing on a piece of paper lying on the table. Moving closer she picked it up.

_Gone to_ _Cain_ _’_ _s_ _._

Taking the glass from her mouth she frowned at the note. It wasn't the kind of note Charity would generally leave for her. It was straight to the point...and no kisses.

_I must be in the bad books_ _._

She didn't understand though. She'd done nothing wrong. If Charity was right and Ross had tried to kiss her, she hadn't known. Christ knows she was drunk and obviously half asleep.

She thought back on how angry Charity had been. The fury in her face had almost scared her. She'd never seen the teacher like that before. Taking a deep breath she walked, with some effort, back to the bedroom. What she needed now was a nice hot shower. Maybe it would wash away the nauseous feeling.

\-------

Three hours later she was sat with her feet up on the couch watching Wall-e. Something light and fluffy, that didn't make her brain want to explode. The front door suddenly opened, momentarily knocking her concentration from the film. Looking toward it, she watched Charity come into view.

The teacher looked over at her as she shut the door. Running a hand through her long blonde hair she shifted her gaze and headed towards the hallway.

“Charity..” the blonde started.

The teacher stopped in her tracks and turned.

Suddenly Vanessa felt nervous. Her stomach began a round of flip flops, and not the good kind. Something she wasn't used to feeling when in Charity's presence. Bringing her feet up she lifted her knees to her chest. Turning back to the teacher she smiled slightly. “Hey….”

“Feeling a bit shit today, are ya?” Charity asked her.

The blonde let out a slight laugh. “Yea, you could say that…” She looked down at the floor. “I…..got your note…”

“Yea well, I figured you needed the sleep so left you.” Silence filled the room. Charity continued to stare down at the blonde who continued to feel anxious under her stare.

“So” she started, not looking at the teacher. “Are we gonna talk about last night?”

Charity took a few steps closer to the couch. “That's up to you. Are you ready to apologise?”

Vanessa's eye's shifted up to look into Charity's. “Me apologise? Charity, I didn't do anything wrong here! All I did was go out with a friend. Ok, maybe I was a little later then I said I'd be, but I'm a grown woman. If you were really that worried you could have rang me….”

“I did” Charity shot back. “I text and rang you several times Vanessa. I was put straight through to your voicemail.”

Vanessa frowned. “I…” She stopped, peeling herself from the couch in search of her bag, trying her best to ignore the pounding at the back of her skull. Picking her bag up from the floor by the front door, she rummaged around inside for her phone. Grasping at it, she realised it was turned off. “Oh, I don't know how that happened. After you text last night, I put it back in here.” She dropped it back into the bag. “Maybe I hadn't put the lock on it and it switched itself off…”

Charity scoffed behind her. Turning around, Vanessa took a step towards her. “Charity, look, I'm sorry OK? I guess I ended up having a little too much last night.” She moved back towards the couch. Sitting down she continued. “When Ross said Amy wasn't coming he went…”

“Amy didn't show?” Charity asked, interrupting the blonde. “So it was just you and Ross all night?”

“Well….yea. We got talking about old times and…..Charity, don't look at me like that.”

“I knew something was going on” Charity started; bringing a hand to her head. “I felt it the second you told me about it last weekend.”

“Felt what?”

Ignoring the blonde's question Charity continued. “Was Amy ever actually invited along? Did she even come up from London?” Her anger began to build once again.

“Charity don't be ridiculous! She had a family emergency, Ross said…” she was cut off once again by the teacher.

“Oh _Ross_ _said_ ….” she mocked. “Of course he did! I mean did you have any contact with Amy? Did you hear a phone call or see a text or something? Or were you just going by what _'_ _Ross_ _said'_ _”_ she mocked again.

“Charity, why would he lie?”

“Ah come on Vanessa, isn't it obvious? He wanted you to himself for the night.”

Vanessa brought a hand to her face in agitation, rubbing at her tired eyes. Standing up she began walking towards the kitchen. As she walked passed Charity, the teacher grabbed her arm.

“He kissed you last night Vanessa. I walked in and he was kissing you. If I didn't know any better I'd of said you actually kissed him back.”

Pulling her arm free from Charity's grasp, Vanessa continued her walk into the kitchen. “Charity are we gonna keep having this argument?” She stopped in front of the sink, looking out into the back garden. “When is it gonna sink into your pretty little brain that I am _gay_!” She turned to look at the teacher who stood at the doorway. “I have never and will never be interested in Ross or any other guy you care to throw at me!”

“So why didn't you push him away?”

“Charity I was drunk! I mean, I was so drunk I was actually passed out seconds after my head hit the pillow!”

“And was it your idea to get so drunk? Or was that another one of Ross's bright ideas? Keep the drinks coming til you lost all control?”

“Charity for crying out loud he's my friend. We had drinks, we had some food and we talked. Then he brought me home. He knows the boundaries now.”

“Obviously he doesn't” Charity shot back. “Christ Vanessa, are you faking stupidity here coz you're embarrassed you kissed him back or something? He kissed you. If I hadn't walked in..”

“That's right….you pushed him up against a wall” the blonde said, taking a few steps towards the teacher. “He's a _policeman_ _,_ Charity. You assaulted an officer of the law.”

“I was defending you for fuck sake. He was taking advantage of you. I don't understand why you're defending him.”

“I'm not defending him Charity” the blonde barked. Taking a deep breath she calmed her voice. “I've just…..never seen you so… _.aggressive._ _”_

Charity stared at her open mouthed. “Who are you Vanessa? I mean seriously? We've had this conversation before. You know he has feelings for you and yet here you are taking his side on things.”

“I'm not takin…”

“YOU ARE!”

Vanessa flinched at the volume of the teachers shout. Deciding things were getting out of hand, she began to walk back into the living room. “You know what Charity, my head feels like its been smashed against a wall and I can't be doing with this.” Picking up her bag she made for the front door.

“Don't walk away from me Vanessa. We're not done here.”

“Actually Charity, yes we are.” With that she opened the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Walking to the car, the blonde’s eyes began to fill with tears. Why was she being so stubborn? She knew Charity must have worried last night. Why had her phone been off? What had possessed her to get so drunk? Could what Charity had suggested be true…..had Ross lied about Amy? Had he kissed her? Worse still, had she kissed him back? There were far too many unanswered questions swimming around her head. Getting into the car she closed her eyes. She contemplated going back into the house. She suddenly felt that she was in the wrong. All Charity had done last night was sit and worry and then wake up to find Ross kissing her girlfriend.

Sighing she started up her engine. She had a feeling Charity wasn't done shouting just yet. She needed to clear her head. Better still, she needed to go find a new head, one that didn't have a persistent little bitch of a headache attached to it. Revving the engine she headed off into the stream of Saturday afternoon traffic.

\-------


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with the story. Good to see so many reading it. Things start to amp up a bit more soon. Just a warning for the end of this chapter...Things get violent for one of our girls.

Chapter 1 2

Flat out across the desk, Vanessa lay with her head on her arms. Her eyes were closed and her mouth hanging open slightly. She suddenly jerked awake at the sound of her work phone ringing. Lifting her head she gazed at the ticking clock on the wall.

 _7:45, Shit!_ she thought.

Realisation hit her, she'd obviously fallen asleep while working late into the night. She picked up the receiver, putting an end to the deafening ring.

“Hello” came her breaking voice.

“Vanessa, for the love of….have you seen the time?” came Charity's irritated voice. “It’s nearly 7:50, what the hell have you been doin’? I know you were mad with me but this is fucking ridiculous.” 

“Charity, I'm so sorry, I must have fallen asleep here at some point last night.” 

She heard the teacher sigh on the other end of the phone. “Do you know how worried I've been, Vanessa? I rang your mobile about a dozen times, surprise surprise it went straight to voicemail. I've rang Tracy, who by the way is almost as pissed as me.” Vanessa closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to rub at her temple.

She hadn't meant to be away all night, but after their argument yesterday she’d just wanted to get some space to clear her head. Getting here after 5 yesterday, she'd busied herself with writing up a draft on her current assignment.

Coming back to the conversation she realised Charity was still talking, or was that shouting…? “After everything that's gone on Vanessa, how could you be so stupid, not telling me where you were?”

Taking a deep breath the blonde began her apology. “Babe, I'm so sorry, look I'll just get my stuff together and I'll be straight home OK?”

“Ok…” the teacher agreed. “…but don't take too long.”

“I won’t.”

Putting the phone down, she rubbed her eyes. Standing up she yawned and stretched her aching muscles. Looking down at her laptop she brought it back out of its sleep state, realising she'd finished her story.

 _Least I've got the rest of the day to relax_ she thought.

Shutting down the laptop and packing up her things, her mind wandered to Charity. Her heart dropped. How could she have been so insensitive? Storming out of the house without so much as a mention of where she was going. God knows how Charity must have felt when she never returned home. Digging around the bag for her mobile, she realised it was still off.

_Shit, what's wrong with me?_

“Jesus Christ Vanessa! What the hell have you been doing all night?”

Snapping her head up, the blonde looked over to Rhona, who was stood arms folded at the door. “Don't start Rhona” Vanessa warned. “You can't make me feel any worse then I already do.”

Coming further into the office, Rhona moved her hands so they gripped her hips. “Charity was going crazy this morning, or so Cain said.”

“Cain knows?”

“Charity rang Tracy who rang Cain who rang me at 6:30 this morning. She'd apparently managed to fall asleep sometime after midnight, figuring you'd gone to spend the night at Tracy's. I guess the 2 of you have been…”

Vanessa sighed. “Fighting, yes Rhona. We've had a few words, but it doesn't matter. Everything's fine, I'm on my way home now to face the music.”

It worried Rhona that the 2 of them had been arguing a little more lately. Sure the honeymoon period was over in the relationship, but she always thought of Charity and Vanessa as having one of those relationships where petty arguments just didn't happen, especially ones that resulted in one of them spending the night elsewhere.

“Get yourself away then, the sooner you 2 sort this out the better. I hate seeing you like this. It's unnerving.”

“Yea.” Vanessa started. It unnerved her too. She hated arguing with Charity. She realised now what an idiot she'd been, and over something so stupid. Seeing it from Charity's point of view, she doubted she would have reacted any other way. “I'm sorry I worried you guys. It was stupid of me, what with everything that we've been through of late. I guess I was just tired and _extremely_ hungover yesterday. Not a good combination really.”

Coming forward, Rhona engulfed the blonde into a tight hug. “You're forgiven, _this time_ _”_ she told her. “Just don't let it happen again!”

“I promise” the blonde agreed.

The building was quite deserted as she left. Out in the car park there were few cars. Her car was parked over to the left near the barbed wire. She opened the driver door and got inside. Putting her bag down on the passenger's seat she quickly fumbled the keys into the ignition. Putting her foot down, she left the car park, entering the morning traffic.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long to get home. She pulled her car into the drive, behind Charity's. Looking at her watch it was 8:15. Taking off her shades she threw them on the seat before picking up her bag and getting out of the car. Walking up to the front door, she suddenly felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. She knew Charity would be pissed, and she had every right to be. Putting her key in the lock she opened the door.

“Excuse me, Vanessa?” Turning around Vanessa was greeted by her neighbour. “This got delivered to us yesterday by mistake” he said, holding out a letter to her.

“Thanks” she replied. After a few pleasantries, she turned back to the house and walked over the threshold, shutting the door behind her. “Charity, I'm home.” She threw her bag and the letter down on the table, where more unopened post lay and walked further into the house. Walking into the kitchen her eyes fell on Charity, sitting at the table.

“Finally made it home then?” Getting up from her seat, she made her way over to the opposite side of the room to Vanessa. Picking up the kettle she took it over to the sink.

“Charity…” Vanessa started.

“Don't.” Charity replied harshly. Kettle full, she went back over to the holder, thrusting it back into place before putting the button down on it.

Vanessa started to walk towards the teacher, who’s back was towards her. “Charity…” she tried again, stopping just behind the teacher. “Please, _please_ forgive me? I feel awful. When I left yesterday, I was so….I don't know, I just needed to get away for a few so I went to work, hoping if I could dig myself into some writing, it would help.”

“You needed to get away?” Charity asked, turning around. “Away from me?” Though her voice was stern, Vanessa could see the hurt in her eyes. Before she could say anything Charity continued. “You know what, that's fine. You needed to get away from me, but to not tell me where you're goin’? To let me just sit here and worry all day and night, after _everything…_.”

Tears began to well up in Vanessa's eyes. How could she let herself hurt this beautiful woman? This beautiful woman that she loved with all her heart. Though she didn't want to blame him completely, she was an adult after all, she couldn't help but feel as though all of the arguments they'd ever had involved Ross in some way. If meeting up with him was going to cause this much upset every time then she had no other choice but to distance herself from him. To her, Charity was the most important person in her life. Going out, getting drunk with old school friends had never been her thing anyway. It _wasn’t_ who she was.

Bringing her hand up, she cupped the teacher’s cheek. “Charity, I understand how you must have felt this morning. You have to believe me, it was never my intention to stay away. I guess I just lost track of time and the next thing I know I wake up to your phone call.”

Before she could continue, Charity pushed her hand away and walked away from her. “I rang your mobile Vanessa, over and over.”

Vanessa's eyes followed her as she walked towards the table, sitting herself down once again. “It was still off Charity. I forgot to turn it on again.”

“Convenient” Charity mumbled.

Vanessa closed her eyes for a few seconds. Walking up to the table, she took a seat next to the teacher. “Look Charity, I know that these past few months have been, well, _hard_. Just when we think things are returning to normal I go and do this. You have to believe me though, I'm so, so sorry. I'm an idiot. For lastnight and for Friday night. I shouldn’t have over reacted like I did. I don't know what came over me. I know I was in the wrong. If I'd been in your position I'd of done exactly the same thing.”

Charity let out a tut, getting up she started walking back towards the kettle again. As she walked past, Vanessa grabbed her arm gently but effectively and pulled her towards her.

“Charity, I love you.” She stood up bringing her face close to the taller blonde's. “I love you so much it actually physically hurts when we fight. I hate you being angry with me.” Bringing both hands up, she cupped either side of Charity's face. “What do I have to do to make you forgive me?”

They looked into each other's eyes, both sets beginning to tear up. Charity contemplated carrying on with her pissed off mood. God knows she should, but looking at Vanessa, seeing the regret in those big blue eyes, how could she?

Letting out a sigh, she lifted her hands to the blonde’s hips. “Do you want a coffee?” She saw the relief immediately on Vanessa's face.

Reaching up the blonde placed a soft kiss on Charity's lips. “I always want your coffee.” she smiled.

Turning around, the teacher gathered the cups and began making them a hot drink. Watching her for a few moments, Vanessa swallowed the lump in her throat before retreating back to the living room. Returning a few seconds later she sat herself at the kitchen table with some letters. “The neighbour caught just there, said a letter got mixed up with his mail yesterday” she told the teacher while looking through the rest of the mail that had arrived the day before.

“Anything interesting?” Charity replied.

“Well on first glance….” the blonde started “…bill, bill, oh this looks like a letter from your dad, Charity.” 

Charity glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah it will be his reply on letting us know when he's coming over.”

“I really don't understand why he can't learn to use a computer, or even just to phone more often. Email would be so much easier.”

The teacher grinned slightly. Her parents had retired a few years earlier. More than comfortable with their funds, they'd spent at least 8 months of every year travelling the world, seeing places they always dreamed of going to. “You know what he’s like. He still lives in a time where letters were the only form of communication.”

Grasping the last letter, Vanessa read the address label out loud. “Ms Dingle and Ms Woodfield, hmm, that's new…”

Coming over with 2 cups of coffee, Charity looked at the letter in the blondes hands. “I like the sound of it” she smiled.

Glancing up, Vanessa flashed a wide smile. As Charity sat down she leaned in and brushed her lips with the teachers. “Me too.” Looking back down at the envelope she tore open the fold, retrieving the letter within. As she began to scan the few paragraphs on the paper, Charity attempted to read it upside down.

“Who's it off” she asked, giving up her attempt.

Coming to the end, Vanessa once again started to read it, this time though she said it out loud. “Dear Ms Dingle and Ms Woodfield, We are pleased to inform you that you are one of 8 parties to have won a weekend stay in a 5 star hotel for the upcoming Class of 2010 School Reunion. You will have a ball with all the activities available.”

“Hang on, I don't understand, who's it from?” 

Looking up Vanessa shrugged. Turning her attention back to the letter she read on. “This experience of a lifetime will begin on the 5th May, and will cost you absolutely nothing. That's right, absolutely nothing. The Reunion will take place within our fabulous Orchid Suite. If you have any queries please don't hesitate to call us. We hope to see you at 10:30am on 5th May. Yours Faithfully C.C Robinson.”

Charity sat upright, eyebrows furrowed, looking at Vanessa who was still studying the letter. “Did you enter a competition or something 'Ness?”

The blonde shook her head. “No. This is for your School Reunion. Did you put your name down on something for it?”

Shaking her head she took the letter from the blonde. “Cain dealt with all that thorough the wondrous world of facebook…” she read the letter again. “One of 8 parties? I wonder who the others are?” 

“It'll be Cain” Vanessa told her. “You know what he's like. He probably entered us into a draw on facebook.”

“I wouldn't put it passed him” Charity agreed.

A few moments passed as the 2 of them sat in a comfortable silence, each sipping on their coffees. Putting her cup down, Vanessa scooted her chair forward, closer to the teachers. Running her hands up her girlfriend’s legs she looked into her eyes. “So, do you forgive me for last night?”

Charity stared at her thoughtfully. It was true her agitation had fizzled away now but she still felt a twinge of upset in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know if it was for the fact Vanessa had stayed out all night, or maybe the image of Ross kissing her 2 nights ago that was still playing around in her head, almost mocking her. Maybe it was both. She just couldn't seem to get rid of it. Either way, Vanessa was back now, she was sorry but most importantly she was safe.

Leaning forward, Charity brushed some stray hair from Vanessa's face, tucking it behind her ear. “I forgive you, babe. Just please, don't ever do that to me again.”

“I promise. I'm sorry. For last night, and yesterday. What I said to you, I had no right. I'm not making excuses for myself or anything but I think that hangover got the better of me. I lashed out at you, and all you tried to do was protect me.”

“That's all I ever want to do, Vanessa.” Leaning in, Charity brought their lips together. They revelled in the familiar feel of one another's soft lips. Sliding her tongue along the blonde's lower lips, she curled it, sweeping it into her mouth. The heat between them began to rise.

After a few more seconds Vanessa pulled back. Sucking in the much needed air she grinned. “Fancy joining me in having a nice hot shower?”

Smiling, the teacher got to her feet and began to back step, pulling the blonde behind her.

\--------

A few hours later, they'd showered, made up _twice_ , and now lay in each other’s arms on the couch.

They'd managed to contact Cain who of course did have something to do with the whole hotel experience. Apparently on the School Reunions facebook group, a selection of attendees were given the chance to stay in a hotel, all expenses paid for the weekends stay. Seeing no harm in trying it out, he'd put both Charity and Vanessa's name down, as well as himself, Rhona Chas and Tracy's. As luck would have it, all 6 of them had been chosen among a few others.

Aside from Charity, who's invitation had already included Vanessa's name, Cain’s, Rhona's, Chas's and Tracy's invitation had included 'and guest'. Though slightly sceptical at first, the opportunity to stay in a 5 star hotel was an offer they decided, too good to miss. It wasn't often they cashed in on one of Cain’s schemes and God knows they could do with a break.

As they lay on the couch now, vaguely watching some chick flick - Vanessa's choice of course, Charity's mind drifted off to their argument the day before. It was the first time, since they officially gotten together, that she had felt completely jealous. So much so in fact that she feared the end was near.

Seeing Vanessa stumble in with Ross on Friday night, seeing him leaning into her and putting his lips to the blondes. Watching Vanessa let this happen. What if she hadn't interrupted? Would it have gone any further? Why did any of this matter? Ross was a guy, Vanessa was completely uninterested. She couldn't explain this feeling of dread in her stomach though. There was something about Ross that really pissed her off.

Her gaze shifted from the T.V, to the top of the blonde’s head, which rested on her chest. Looking from the flowing blonde locks, further down to her face, she traced the outline of her nose, down to those perky lips. A smile played at her own as she watched the blonde’s eyebrows furrow at something on the telly. She felt her heart skip a beat.

_Adorable_ _._

It wasn't often the 2 of them got the chance to laze around together for the day. What with both their jobs, more so Vanessa's which had her working scattered hours at times, then their friends constantly hanging around. Not forgetting all the murders that had happened. So much going on in their lives and no time to relax and enjoy one another. Even just to lay here watching rubbish on the telly. It was this close contact that Charity treasured.

Before Vanessa, she hadn't really been in any long term relationships. Being best friends with Cain during school, people had always assumed they were together, so guys never paid much attention to her in that way - which of course worked out well for her. Realising she was gay at around 12 years old, she didn't really have anyone she could talk to about it. Her parents were very religious so it took them a few years, after she eventually came out at 17, for them to come around to the idea.

Looking back, she had had a few meaningless relationships through the back end of high school and then college. The longest relationship she could remember was around 4 months. That was during her Uni days. If a relationship didn't feel like it was going anywhere, she would sit the girl down and tell them it straight. She felt awful of course, but she didn't believe in sticking around when things became strained.

Cain had always teased her for being a heart breaker. “Once you fall for Dingle, you stay fallen” he often told her. Charity was more invested in her career and thought of women as a distraction. Something Cain NEVER agreed on. This time though, things were different.

Charity had changed her perspective on life. Hell, it wasn’t so long ago she was willing to give up a job she loved to be with someone she thought was 17! That's not the kind of thing she would have done in any other previous affairs. This relationship was one she wanted to be part of for the rest of her life though. There's nothing she wouldn't do for the smaller blonde.

“Do I have something on my face?”

Charity jumped slightly at the sudden sound of the blonde’s voice. “Huh, what?” she muttered.

“You've been staring at me for the last 5 minutes” the reporter replied. Shifting her position she gazed up at Charity, a grin appearing. “So, do I have something on my face?”

Busted sprang to mind as Charity grinned impishly back at the blonde. “Your face is perfect 'Ness. Just like you!” She leaned in, placing a soft kiss on the blonde’s nose. Pulling back she smiled again. “I was just thinking how glad I am not to be single any more. How happy I am that we found eachother..”

Vanessa brought her left hand up, cupping the teacher’s cheek. “I know exactly how you feel” she agreed.

It wasn't long before Vanessa had shifted her body up to straddle Charity's hips, capturing her lips in a fiery embrace…..chick flick forgotten!

\------

The next morning, Charity's alarm clock sounded just before 7. Hitting the offending object, she sat up in bed moving her attention to the still sleeping blonde. She lay on her side, with her back to Charity. Deciding not to wake her just yet, she quietly got out of bed and left the room.

At 7.20, Vanessa awoke and turned around. Seeing the empty space next to her, she stretched her tired muscles. Blinking the sleep out of her eye's a few more times, she lifted the covers and got out of bed. Walking to the en suite she closed the door behind her.

In the kitchen Charity heard the blonde’s footsteps. Taking another bite out of her toast, she threw the rest on the plate and made for the kettle. After getting a cup out of the cupboard, she went out into the hall and took the free paper from the letterbox. Turning around she headed back to the kitchen, taking her position once again at the table.

As she read the front page Vanessa came into the kitchen. She went straight over to Charity and kissed her on the cheek.

“Morning gorgeous” Charity said to her.

“Morning” she replied as she pulled out a chair to sit on.

“I've just put the kettle on for you.”

“Mmmm coffee” she said, just before a yawn escaped her lips.

They sat in silence until the click of the kettle boiling rang out through the kitchen. Getting to her feet, Charity busied herself with making the blonde’s coffee. “So what's on your agenda today?' she asked, bringing the steaming cup back to the table.

Bringing her hands to the cup which had been laid on the table for her, Vanessa cocked her head in thought. “Well, I'm gonna head into the office. There’s a couple of meetings this morning. Budget cuts and stuff, all very boring” she explained with a wave of her hand. “I'm on top of everything though. Unless something comes up this morning I think I've got myself an easy day” she finished with a grin.

The teacher chuckled in response. “It's alright for some.”

Raising an eyebrow the smaller blonde looked at her. “Who are you trying to kid here? You love your job and hate time off.”

Rolling her eyes Charity leaned forward, until her face was mere inches from the blonde's. “Give me a good enough reason to stay home and I'd call in sick in a flash, babe.”

Closing the gap, Vanessa brushed her lips lightly against the teachers. Pulling back she looked in to Charity's eyes, with a glint of mischief in her own. “I'll remember that for future reference then” she teased before getting to her feet, cup in hand and walking out of the kitchen.

Charity watched as Vanessa rounded the corner. After a couple of minutes thought, she put down the paper and retraced the blonde’s steps. Nearing the bedroom, she heard the shower running from the en suite. With a smirk she walked further into the room and started to take off her clothes. As she walked over to the bathroom she saw Vanessa under the spray, running her hands through her hair with her back to the door. Walking into the bathroom, she made for the shower door quietly. Luckily, it was a large shower cubicle, big enough to fit 7 or 8 people, if you were into that sort of thing. 

With her head firmly under the shower spray, Vanessa didn't hear the low thud of the door closing.

Coming up behind the blonde, Charity snaked her hands onto the writer’s stunned hips.

“Oh God” Vanessa squeaked.

“Nope” Charity cooed into the blonde’s neck. “It’s just me…” 

Vanessa looked over her shoulder at the culprit who was now stroking her sides.

“Are you tryin’ to give me a heart attack?”

Charity chuckled. “Not a heart attack, babe. I’d like to get that heart racing though.” She brought her hands up to Vanessa's breasts massaging the mounds slowly but firmly. The blonde let out a sigh, resting her head on Charity's shoulder.

“You've gotta get to work in a few minutes Charity, and I've got a meeting at 9…” she protested, though her tone said otherwise.

“I've got a free period first thing, but if you've got a meeting….we better make this quick then.”

Bringing her lips to Vanessa's neck, she began to suck on the patch of skin behind her ear, right on that sweet spot. Sure enough the second Charity's lips touched her skin, Vanessa let out a gasp of pleasure. This spurred Charity on to do it all the more. Still caressing Vanessa's left breast, she started to trail her other hand slowly down her body. Over her stomach, down past her belly button and into the short curls that covered her hungry core.

Vanessa's body began to tingle under the teachers touch. She began to breathe more deeply as Charity started playing with her clit, pinching it between her thumb and index finger.

Still sucking on the blonde’s neck, Charity dipped her middle finger between the slick folds. She was so wet. This was what drove Charity wild. She loved how much she turned her lover on and it made her want Vanessa even more. She stroked the blonde’s clit as she pushed her finger in and out of the lubricated cove. She slowly added another finger, rubbing more firmly.

Vanessa was in heaven, she started to rock her hips in motion with Charity's rhythm. The blonde parted her lips from Vanessa's neck and brought her mouth up in search of her partners. They connected, both hungry for each other.

Vanessa turned in the teachers arms, bringing her left arm up and wrapping it around Charity's head, pulling her closer. She felt herself being pushed backwards until her back connected with the shower's wall. Still having 2 fingers inside of her, she felt Charity push her thigh up against her fingers, forcing them into place.

“Oh God Charity, that feels so good” she panted into Charity's mouth. “….don't stop….oh god, harder.”

Charity brought her body close to the blonde, loving the feel of their hot, wet bodies sliding off each other. Vanessa brought her right hand around and massaged the teachers left butt cheek, pulling her closer into her. Their lips connected again, doing that familiar dance of passion and lust. Their tongues slid in and out of each other's mouths. Vanessa's thrusts became harder. Charity knew she was close. Their lips parted and Charity began to whisper into Vanessa's ear.

“That's it, ride it out….come for me 'Ness.”

“Charity, I'm so close”. She ground down harder and faster, the feel of Charity's fingers in her, rubbing against her clit, god it made her so wet. She was drowning Charity's hand in her pleasure.

Charity grabbed at Vanessa's right bum cheek, pulling the blonde harder on to her hand. Her fingers slid with such ease through the drenched lips.

“Yes, Yes, oh god Char….ohhhh, I'm coming, ughhh.” 

Vanessa dug her head into Charity's shoulder as the waves of her orgasm over took her. They rode them out for what seemed like hours but after a few moments, Vanessa lifted her head. Her cheeks were flushed and her forehead glistened with sweat aswell as water. Her wet hair clung on to the side of her face. She gave Charity a look of pure satisfaction.

“You are so beautiful 'Ness,” Charity admired. She moved her head down, placing her lips to the blondes. As they parted Vanessa slowly sank to the bottom of the cubicle.

“I think you broke me” she laughed.

Charity stroked the top of her head, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Come on you, let’s get washed up and ready for work.” Turning, Charity walked under the stream of water that had still been running.

“I’ll be right with you….as soon as my legs start working.”

\--------------

“So, a 5 star hotel coach? That's a pretty cushy deal” Nicola said as Charity's students began to walk from the track, back to the changing rooms.

Apparently Cain had invited Moira along as his plus 1 to the hotel stay this coming Friday. It baffled Charity how Moira's parents were alright with their daughter dating an older guy.

“I'm famous Dingle” Cain had told her a week or so ago, after he'd met the girls parents. “A few smooth talking words in her mother’s ears and a promise to treat his daughter with nothing but respect to her father and that was that” he had beamed. Though it still seemed quite perilous to her, Charity had to admit, she had never seen her friend quite so smitten in a relationship.

“Yea” Charity replied to Nicola. “Trust Cain to scout out a deal.”

“I'm so excited” Moira chimed from in front of the walking group. “I've never stayed in a 5 star hotel. I wonder if they leave chocolates on our pillows?”

Charity snorted, as did the other girls.

“How's Vanessa” Laurel asked.

Charity looked over to her, a smile playing at her lips. “She's good, great actually” she replied, her smile widening with every word. She had a feeling Vanessa may have been slightly late for her meeting this morning. The smaller blonde had scowled at her before she headed out the door, realising it was almost 9 o'clock. “If I get the angry eye treatment when I walk into this meeting, you'll be in big trouble tonight…” she'd threatened her. Was it wrong for Charity to hope that Vanessa did indeed get that angry eye treatment….just a little?

Making it back to the school, the girls headed to the changing rooms as Charity made her way over to her office. As she reached the door she heard the sound of her phone ringing, moving swiftly into her office, she reached for the phone.

“Hello?”

“Is that Ms Dingle?”

Charity hesitated for a moment. “It is yea. Sorry, the line sounds a little weird.”

She heard the caller chuckle slightly.

“Ah Ms Dingle, it's nice to finally talk to you.”

Charity furrowed her eyebrows. The caller’s voice sounded strange, kind of like they were going through a tunnel. “I'm sorry, the line isn't very good here. Can I ask whose calling?”

“Patience Ms Dingle, _patience_ ” the caller told her. “I've had myself a bit of a walk today” the caller continued. “I came across this lovely little place on Maple Drive. I'm assuming you know it?”

Charity was unsure of why but she began to feel slightly uneasy. “Could you tell me who this is?”

Ignoring her question again, the caller continued. “So, I walked up to this lovely looking home and made my way around the back. Imagine my surprise or is that _luck_ , when I found the window slightly open.” The caller chuckled, causing the hairs on Charity's skin to slowly rise.

“Look, I'm busy at work right now. I don't have time for prank calls.”

“Who said anything about a prank call, Ms Dingle” the caller told her with an even tone. “I'm merely including you on my findings. Oh, by the way, this is an adorable picture of you and the missus on the bedside table here.”

 _This is a joke. It has to be_ …. Charity thought.

“Such an adorable couple” the caller continued. “Loving the funky bed spread you have on today. It's very…..yellow. Vanessa's choice I'm assuming?”

Her heart began to pound as she tried to gather her thoughts. Did they have yellow bed sheets on today? With Vanessa living there, she admitted to having a lot of things yellow nowadays. She didn't pay much attention though, it was just part of the routine. But today…..what colour were they…?

“Hmm, what's in here then” the caller chimed. “Ohh, of course. The underwear.” Charity heard some ruffling on the other side of the phone before hearing an intake of breath. “Mmmmm, smells like strawberries. I like that. Tell me, who owns the spongebob knickers? Is it you?” the caller asked before chuckling. “Of course it isn't. It's the other one that likes that sort of thing isn't it? You're more _bad-ass_. I like that in a woman.”

Charity could feel anger washing over her. This was a wind up. A very disturbing wind up at that.

“Ohh, and who does this belong to?” the caller continued again. A purr escaped their lips. “Mmm mmm, such a lacy number. Is this what you wear during dress up time? Coz that I'd love to see.”

“Look, I don't know who the hell you are but stop wasting my time here. There's no way……”

“Shut up” came the caller’s irritated shout.

Charity was at a loss of what to do. Should she hang up? What would happen if she did? Before she could decide, the caller continued.

“You've done well for yourself here Ms Dingle.” Charity could hear a clicking sound on the other end of the phone. “Yes…” the caller continued as they opened the doors to the back garden “….a house with a swimming pool out back here. Very nice indeed” they surveyed.

“For the last time _who_ the hell is this?”

Before the caller could reply there was a sound in the living room. “Charity? What are you doing home?”

Charity's heart dropped. _Vanessa_ …. She had heard Vanessa's faint voice on the other end of the phone. “No…” she breathed. She shot out of her chair. “No” she screamed.

The caller let out a low chuckle. “Uh oh….looks like things are gonna get a little crazy now…” the line went dead.

“No!” Charity screamed again. “Shit shit shit.” She put the phone down, only to pick it up again quickly, frantically dialling the house number. It began to ring….

\-------

As Vanessa opened the front door, she threw her computer bag on the couch before shutting the door. Walking towards the kitchen she stopped suddenly, hearing a voice coming from the bedroom.

“Charity?” she called. “What are you doing home…?”

She changed direction and headed towards the bedroom. Her mind drifted to earlier this morning when Charity had told her to give her a reason to stay home.

 _She's come home for naughty kinky sex hasn't she_ the blonde thought, a smile playing at her lips.

Rounding the corner into the bedroom, she looked around. There was no one there. Looking straight ahead, she noticed the patio doors were open. As she walked further into the bedroom she took off her cardigan, throwing it onto the bed.

“Charity” she called, walking towards the open doors.

Just then, the phone began to ring.

\-------

“Come on, come on, pick up the phone!” Charity pleaded. Her hand gripped onto the receiver like her life depended on it

The ringing went on and on….

“Fuck” she scowled before putting the phone down again. Picking it up, she dialled 999. As soon as the voice spoke on the other end she began to shout. “Please I need the police to…NOOOO, DON'T PUT ME ON HOLD!” she screamed. “No, god damn it.” She slammed the phone down again, just as Laurel appeared in the door.

“Is everything OK coach?”

“No” Charity shouted. “It's Vanessa, I think the killers with her at our house. He rang….he just rang me and I heard her….”

Laurel stood rooted to the spot.

Picking up her bag Charity made a run for the door. “Laurel please, you have to ring the police! Tell them to get over to my house right now. I have to go…”

Watching in her teachers wake, Laurel ran into Charity's office and picked up the phone.

\------

Hearing the phone ring, Vanessa turned around. She didn't have much time to react as she felt a fist punch her square in the mouth, knocking her sideways and against the door frame. Before she had time to recover, she felt herself pulled back into the room before being thrown onto the bed.

Recovering slightly, the blonde lifted her head and looked at the intruder for the first time. Her eyes widened. No, this couldn't be happening. She watched as the clown dressed intruder descended upon her again, bringing their right fist square into her face. Her head flung back onto the mattress. She felt weak...light headed. She tried to lift her head but it just swayed off to the side. Suddenly she felt hands at the hem of her pants.

 _No, this can't be happening_ she thought.

She brought her hands up, trying to push away the intruders’ hands but they were easily swatted away. She was slapped, hard across the cheek. Her head off to one side, she felt her pants being fiercely shoved down her legs.

“Please..” she begged. “Please don't do this…” She moved her head to look back at the intruder. She brought her hands up again, trying to reach for the mask, wanting to reveal the bastard beneath it. Before she could get close enough her hands were smacked away for a second time. This was followed by a back handed smack across her other cheek, causing her head to move off to the side.

She felt dazed. Her head was completely spinning. Somewhere, in the distance she could hear the sound of a zip being lowered.

 _No….no, please_ she thought.

With all her will power, she moved her head back around, looking up at the cold hearted murderer. They were poised above her, looking down into her eyes. All Vanessa could see was blackness through the clowns eye slits.

“Please…..don't do this….” she pleaded. Her eyes began to get heavy. She blinked, trying hard to hold onto that little shred on consciousness. She could taste blood in her mouth. She swallowed it as she tried to speak again.

The clown brought their hands up, clasping them around the blonde’s neck. Squeezing slightly, they continued to look down into those terrified blue eyes.

Vanessa began to sob. “Please….please….”

The last thing Vanessa felt before her eyes closed a final time, was the clown's fingers, squeezing at her throat.

xxxxxxxxxx


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm so sorry for the delay in posting a new chapter to this story. Thanks so much for the reviews/messages and to make it up to you, I've put 2 chapters in to 1 here, giving you an extra long update. Thanks for sticking with the story. Things are going to turn a little crazy soon. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 13

“ _Cain_ ….” Charity screamed into her phone “….get to the house now. The killer….Vanessa…” she couldn't finish her sentence. “ _Please_ Cain.”

Hearing him hang up, she threw her phone on to the passenger seat. Her car sped through the busy streets, over taking dawdling cars. As her right hand gripped the steering wheel, her other hand lifted to her mouth as she began to cry. “Please be alright Vanessa… _.please_.”

A few minutes later her car screeched to a halt outside the house. She saw Vanessa's car in the drive as she fumbled with her seatbelt. “Come on” she screamed. Finally free of her restraints, she threw herself out of the car, not bothering to close the door. Making a run for the house she burst through the door.

“Vanessa? Babe, where are you?” she called as she ran straight for the bedroom.

\------

Somewhere in the back of her mind, just tipping on the outskirts of consciousness, Vanessa could hear someone calling her name. She was surrounded by darkness. Straining to hear, her ears picked up on that familiar voice.

 _Charity_ she thought.

Charity was shouting for her. She could hear the fear in her voice. Something wasn't right. Where was she? What was all this darkness?

_Am I dreaming? I must be…_

She had to wake up. Charity needed her. She looked around, but there was nothing. Nothing but darkness.

“Babe where are you?” she heard the echo of Charity's voice.

“Charity….” she tried to shout back. “I'm here.”

_Can she hear me?_

She felt light headed. She felt weak. Why couldn't she move? Suddenly she felt something on her arm. She looked down, but there was nothing there.

“Babe, oh god, Vanessa, please wake up. Somebody help me!”

There was Charity's voice again, somewhere beyond the darkness. “I'm here Charity” she called again. “I'm OK.”

“Vanessa, please wake up. Shit, what did they do to you? Open your eyes babe, look at me.”

The blonde felt something on her neck. A hand. All of a sudden her stomach dropped. She could feel a wave of sickness washing over her, consuming her body whole. She made a grab for her neck. “No please” she screamed into the darkness. “Why are you doing this to me?”

Images started to flash through her mind. The clown…..the killer, he strangled her. She began to choke. She sucked at the air, trying to catch her breath. She had to wake up.

“Vanessa, that's it, open your eyes. Let me see those beautiful blue eyes.”

She could feel someone covering her lower body. She tried to focus her mind as she continued to cough. She felt a hand on her cheek, caressing it softly. She knows that touch. That soft, loving touch.

“Charity…” she whispered.

“Vanessa, it's me babe, I'm ‘ere” Charity sobbed.

The sound of Charity's distressed response made her heart ache. Suddenly a light appeared in the distance. It wasn't long before it grew larger. It was moving towards her and fast. Momentarily blinded, she shielded her face, closing her eyes from the glare. Slowly, she opened them again, only this time her dream had disappeared as her eyes began to blink at familiar surroundings. She felt herself lain out on the bed.

“Vanessa. Thank god. You're OK, its OK, I'm here now.”

The smaller blonde continued to blink, trying to focus on the sobbing woman in front of her. Moving her mouth to speak, she took a sudden intake of air. Her mouth hurt. No, her _entire_ face hurt. Her cheeks felt raw. She could taste blood in her mouth. Moving her tongue around, she tried to wash away the overbearing taste wrinkling her nose in displeasure.

“Vanessa, can you talk? Can you move?” Charity asked.

Focusing back on Charity, she saw her for the first time. She looked at her through sore eyes. Worry etched the teachers face. She needed reassurance that she was alright. Despite the fact her arm felt like a bag of bricks, Vanessa lifted her left hand to Charity's face.

“I'm here 'Ness” Charity sobbed, grabbing and kissing the offered hand. “I'm so sorry. I….” she couldn't finish. At that moment, her emotions were going into over drive. “Talk to me babe” she managed to croak out.

Taking a deep raspy breath, the blonde opened her mouth. “Ouch” she croaked.

That obviously wasn't the best thing she could have said as she watched Charity's face drop. Her eyes began to well up with fresh tears.

“I'm so sorry babe, I got here as soon as I could…” she wept.

Vanessa rubbed her thumb over the teacher’s cheek. “Hey” she tried. “Charity, I'm OK. I just….” she thought for a moment. “My face just hurts a little. I'm OK though, please don't cry.”

As Charity ran her fingers through blonde locks, Vanessa shifted her gaze downwards. She realised she'd been covered with a blanket. Charity must have done that. She could feel she was naked beneath the cover. She could remember now. The attacker had pulled her pants down. She remembered the sound of a zip being lowered. Had she been raped? Closing her eye's again, she tried to focus her mind.

_What happened?_

She didn't feel any sort of pain between her legs. Having never slept with a man surely it would hurt if she had been raped?

“Vanessa? Hey” Charity called. The blonde opened her eyes. “Don't fall asleep again, Ok? The police are on their way.”

They lay there for a few more minutes until they heard the sound of Cain calling out for them. “Charity, Vanessa? Where are you?”

“In the bedroom, Cain” Charity called.

Coming to the doorway they looked over to him. His eyes grew wide at the sight before him. “What the hell happened?” He made no attempt to come into the room, seeing Vanessa in the state she was in.

“The killer…” Charity started. “He was here. She's OK though.” She looked back at the blonde, running a hand through her hair. “She's OK.”

\-------

A few hours later, Charity sat on the couch with Vanessa's head in her lap. The blondes bruised eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open as her body rested. The nightmare she'd been through only hours before had completely exhausted her. Charity's eyes were glued to the sleeping body. Her fingers ran lightly through blonde locks.

When the ambulance had pulled up alongside the police, Vanessa had been rushed to the hospital. Because she had been unable to remember all the details of the attack, she'd been taken to a private room. It was the type of room that was set aside for patients who'd been sexually assaulted. Vanessa had still been unsure if she'd been sexually abused, so agreed to take a rape kit. It had all taken a while to complete. The doctor had needed to take photos for evidence along with her clothes before examining her body.

Charity had stayed by her side throughout the whole exam. She'd held her hand as the doctor took a swab of her genital area along with a urine and blood sample. No words could describe how humiliated Vanessa had felt. She never in all her life thought she'd have to go through something like this. I mean, who would? It wasn't long before the results had come back though and she had been completely cleared of any doubt. She had _not_ been sexually assaulted. The blows to her head had given her a mild concussion, along with some bruising around her eye and small cut above her lip.

While waiting for the results to come back, Jack Sugden and Ross had appeared at her room door to get a statement. Upon hearing Jack speak his presence, Charity had peered over her shoulder. Seeing Ross standing just behind his superior, the teacher had jumped to her feet and closed the distance between herself and the visitors. Vanessa had been quick to shout after her in warning.

Sensing something unpleasant was about to happen, Jack had stepped further in front of the younger policeman, shielding him from harm. Ross had excused himself, telling Jack he would wait in the car.

Jack had a feeling this probably had something to do with the young man’s feelings for Vanessa. Perhaps he'd over stepped the boundaries. He'd sensed that Ross had had feelings for the blonde the day they met up at the sky news building. Seeing the look of pure hatred in Charity's eyes in the hospital room, he knew that something had definitely happened recently.

He'd taken a full statement from Vanessa. Like all the previous cases, there wasn't a lot more she could tell. Except, she was almost 100% sure the attacker was male. She remembered being hit extremely hard. Behind the mask and clothing the attacker had been well-built. She remembered his breathing, it was deep, masculine. He had undone his zip….surely ready to rape her?

But then, why hadn't he? The blonde had been knocked unconscious; he’d had complete control of her. Perhaps after being on the phone to Charity he had realised his time was short. Police would be on the scene within minutes. He had to make sure of his escape and raping the unconscious blonde would have sabotaged that without doubt.

Charity had organised with the school to take the rest of the week off. With Vanessa being told to take the week to recover, she hadn't wanted the blonde to be left alone in the house again. They couldn’t live like this forever though. It just felt like they were back to square one again. They no longer felt safe, even in their own home. Looking back on earlier in the day, she hadn't remembered leaving a window open in the bedroom. But with no signs of forced entry, the killer must have gotten in through an open window, just like they had said.

She knew it was stupid to, but she blamed herself for being so laid-back too soon. For getting back into a leisurely routine, even when she knew the killer was still out there.

Vanessa began to stir in her lap, breaking Charity from her thoughts. Slowly blinking her eyes, the smaller blonde looked up at the teacher. Gliding her hand from blonde hair to Vanessa's cheek, Charity stroked her thumb lightly under her good eye.

“Hey beautiful” she whispered.

Vanessa smiled slightly, taking care to not stretch her stitching. “Yea right” she replied hoarsely. “I'm sure I look totally ravishin’ with my bruising.”

Charity frowned. “Vanessa, you can't tell me what I can and can't find beautiful. Your face..” she told her, cupping her cheek, “..with or without bruisin’, is the most ravishin’, head turnin’, breath takin’, heart pumpingly beautiful face I’ve ever seen.” She looked sincerely into Vanessa's blue orbs.

The blonde returned the look, seeing the honesty in Charity's eyes. She moved her head to the side slightly, placing a tender kiss on the teacher’s palm. “Thanks babe. You always make me feel beautiful. Even with these big ugly bruises.”

Charity just looked down at her, a smile playing at her lips as she began stroking her fingers through the blonde hair again. They sat in silence for a few moments, Vanessa enjoying the light caresses on her sore head.

“Do you want an ice pack for your face again?”

The blonde shook her head. “No, it's alright ta, it makes me too cold.”

When they first arrived home from the hospital, she'd sat with an ice pack under her eye for 10 minutes. The doctor had told her to keep it there for at least half an hour every few hours but, being the rebel she was, 10 minute's was Vanessa's limit.

“Is your face hurtin’ at the minute?” Charity asked.

“It's not too bad. I can feel a little throbbing but I can cope with it. How long til I can take another couple aspirin?”

Charity looked over to the clock. “Urm, not for another couple of hour’s babe.”

“It's alright, like I said, it's tolerable.”

Charity pondered her thoughts for a few moments, deciding whether or not to confess something to the blonde. After the attack today, she felt she needed to tell the blonde something. “Babe…I need to tell you something..”

Vanessa's brow creased in suspicion at Charitys sudden change in demeanour. “What did you do Charity?”

“Just remember I did this for our protection, OK.” Seeing the blonde continue to look at her, confused and a little suspicious, she continued. “Well, do you remember that night of the house warming party, we had a knife stuck in our door?”

“Yea…”

“Well, not long after that I…” she looked away from the blonde's eye's sheepishly. “…I got a gun.”

Vanessa's eyes widened. “Oh Charity, you didn't? Where is it? Is it here in the house?” she got more uneasy with every word.

“Vanessa, calm down. Listen to me. That night, I had a really bad feeling that it was gonna be the start of something….something _serious_. If the killer was gona be including us, or more so _you_ , on their killings, I had to do something to protect us.”

“And you think purchasing a gun is the way to do that? Charity, haven't you heard about these types of situations on the news? People get sent to prison all the time for trying to protect their homes from intruders. Hell I’ve _written_ about it countless times at work. A gun is not the way to protect us.”

“Well what else do you suggest Vanessa…” the teacher started, trying to defend her actions. “What happens the next time this fucking lunatic breaks into our home and attacks you? What happens if next time he does a lot more then beat you ‘round the head with his fists?” The smaller blonde flinched at Charity's words. The teacher saw this and immediately regretted raising her voice. “Vanessa..”

“No, Charity, it's fine.” The blonde lifted herself from the teachers legs, twisting her body so she sat cross legged next to her. “I understand why you would do it. I understand that you just want to keep us safe, but a gun is not the way to do that. I mean, I hardly had a chance to breath before being knocked off my feet earlier.” She closed her eyes momentarily before continuing. “Even if I'd known about a gun being in the house, I wouldn't have had a chance to get to it…”

“Babe, I'm so sorry. I can't even begin to think what you went through earlier. I'm so sorry I wasn't here.”

“Charity it's fine, really. You can't be with me 24 hours a day.”

“I would if I could…”

The blonde smiled at her. “Me too.” Charity brought her hand up and began stroking it along Vanessa's thigh. “But Charity, I really don't feel comfortable with a gun being here. I….I'd really prefer if you got rid of it. Knowing it's here now, I just feel uneasy.”

The teacher nodded weakly in response. She'd known this was how the blonde would react if she told her. It had seemed like the best option a month or so ago, when things had started to get ugly. In all honesty, she'd forgotten about it being in her cupboard. Thinking about the killer being in their bedroom today, he could have quite easily found it had he had more time to scout around the place. Suddenly she felt a little anxious. Maybe he _had_ found it…

“Charity? What's wrong?”

Looking at the reporter she began to stand up. “Nothing, I….I'll be right back…” she told her, walking towards the bedroom. After a few moments, the smaller blonde retraced her footsteps.

Standing at the bedroom door, she watched as Charity stretched her arms up to the top shelf of her cupboard, bringing down with her a cardboard box. She watched as the teacher opened the box and let out a sigh of relief. “You thought maybe the killer had found it, didn't you?”

Charity closed the box again before looking over at the blonde. “The thought just crossed my mind. It's here though.” She turned around, lifting the box back to its place on the top shelf. Shutting the cupboard door she walked up to the blonde. “If you really feel that uncomfortable Vanessa, I'll take it back tomorrow.”

After a moment’s thought, the blonde nodded. “I'm sorry Charity, but I really think that's for the best….”

“I understand” Charity told her. She held her arms out to which the blonde gratefully accepted, moulding her body into the teachers.

“I know you did it for our protection…” Vanessa said in the crook of Charity's neck. “…thank you. Thank you for always thinking about me.”

“You're my life Vanessa. I'd do anything for you.” She pulled back, bringing a hand up to rest under the blondes chin. “And believe me when I say, I'm gona do everything in my power to save you from ever being hurt again. I promise you!”

\------

Later that night, they lay together in bed. Vanessa was on her left hand side. Charity laying directly behind her, her head propped up by her left hand while her right arm dangled across the blonde’s body. They'd both checked the doors and windows thoroughly before getting in to bed. Vanessa had been slightly apprehensive about coming back into the bedroom, but once she was under the covers with Charity pressed up against her, she felt safe once again.

“Could you ever of imagined…” Vanessa started, “…less than a year ago, being here, going through all of this?”

Charity rubbed her hand over the blondes stomach, tracing it up to her side and over her hip. “If someone had come up to me sayin’, 9 months from now you'd be with the woman of your dreams but you'd be caught up in the middle of a serial murder investigation, I'd of probably laughed in their face, babe.”

Vanessa nodded in agreement. “It just sounds so unreal, doesn't it?”

“Life's never easy.”

The blonde turned to look at the teacher. “So, you think I'm the woman of your dreams?”

The teacher let out a throaty laugh. “Vanessa, I don't think…I _know_! You are without a doubt the one and only woman for me. I feel so….so _connected_ to you. I wona be with you, forever.”

The blonde felt her heart begin to flutter. Charity was right. She was the woman she’d always dreamed of meeting. Not everyone is lucky enough to find someone they feel completely connected to. The one they are meant to be with. But now, even though she'd found her, they were still having to jump through hoops to start their life together the way it should be…

“It's just aswell” the blonde replied. “Coz, I'm not ever letting you go.”

“I'm countin’ on it.” Charity leaned down, planting a soft kiss on the side of Vanessa's lips, careful not to touch the cut above her lip.

As Charity pulled back, Vanessa brought her left hand around, keeping the teachers face close. “Do you wona…” she started, her smile forming slowly.

Charity looked down at her, her face completely horrified. “Ness, you're kidding right? This afternoon you were…..you were…” she didn't want to finish her sentence.

The blonde shifted, turning so she was facing the teacher. “Yes, I haven't lost my memory Charity. It's just…..I want to feel you. More than that, I _need_ to feel you.” 

Charity hesitated for a moment. “You've got a mild concussion baby, I don't think head banging sex would help that any.”

The blonde raised her un-bruised eyebrow. “Are you saying you don't want to get with _this_ Charity” she asked, leaning back, running a hand down her own body.

The teacher’s eyes couldn't resist shifting their gaze to Vanessa's body. She closed her green orbs as her resistance began to crumble. As she reopened them, she looked back up at the blonde, whose own blue eyes threw flirtatious glances toward her.

“You know you want me Charity….”

Charity could hear the blondes voice becoming lower, her desire growing more powerful. She could feel her own desire coursing its way through her veins. Vanessa was right, there was no way she could resist this woman. “I always want you Ness…”

“Even with these badass cuts and bruises?” Vanessa pondered. She turned onto her back, bringing her hand to the waistband of her sleep shorts. She hesitated for a second, before wiggling her fingers under the elastic and continuing her journey south. She kept her gaze on the teacher, seeing green eyes move down her body. “If you don't want to….” the blonde started. She opened her legs as her hand moved past the short hairs on her mound. Sliding a finger over her clit, she moaned out Charity's name.

Charity's mouth fell open as she stared down at the mischievous hand concealed within the blonde's shorts. The wetness in her mouth increased, causing her to swallow with an audible gulp. She could feel Vanessa's eyes burning a hole at the side of her head. Reluctantly she shifted her gaze from the busy hand to the lust filled eyes next to her.

A smirk played at the writers sore lip. She knew she had the teacher right where she wanted her now. She had her full, undivided attention. She dipped her finger into her opening slowly, before pulling back. Her clit twitched as she grazed over it again, her wet fingertip skating slow circles around it. “Charity…” she whispered, her gaze never leaving the teacher. Her other hand snaked under her pyjama top, lifting the needless garment until her stomach and breasts were uncovered and accessible to her touch.

Charity's eye's once again moved from the sparkling blue orbs of her lover as they feasted upon the newly visible skin. She wanted so badly to lower her mouth to the creamy flesh, but at the same time, she wanted to see what Vanessa would do next.

Flexing her fingers, the blonde glided her hand over her left breast. It wasn't long before her nipple began to harden under the soft caresses. Moving her attention back to the hand between her legs, she again dipped a finger between the soft walls. A deep moan escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, pushing her head into the pillow beneath. She heard another audible gulp from the woman next to her. Her hips began to slowly thrust up off the mattress, making her finger sink deeper within in folds. “Ohh, Charity…”

The teacher felt as though her whole body was on fire. It took everything she had to not push the blonde's hand away and replace it with her own, better still, replace it with her _mouth_. The need to taste the blonde was becoming more and more overpowering. She licked her dry lips in anticipation. “Vanessa…”

Hearing the teacher's lust induced voice, Vanessa opened her eyes. Looking at her girlfriend, she saw the flush on her cheeks, the arousal in her eyes. Oh yes, her plan had worked. A smile played at her lips as she mentally praised herself. “Yea babe…?”

Charity wasn't stupid. She knew Vanessa had played her like a fiddle.

 _Two can play this game_ she thought.

Lifting herself from the mattress, Charity tugged at the hem of her pyjama top, swiftly raising it over her head and throwing it to the floor. Lying back down, she slipped her thumbs under the waist band of her shorts, tugging them down her thighs before kicking them off to the side. Now, completely naked, she sat up on the mattress, looking down at the blonde.

Vanessa had frozen all her movements upon seeing Charity begin to undress. She still had one hand on her breast while the other remained deep within her shorts.

Smirking, Charity shifted until she was kneeling above the blonde's stomach.

“Charity…?” Vanessa asked. “What….are you doing?” She couldn't help her eyes from roaming over the taller woman’s toned body.

Charity didn't answer with her words. Instead, she glided her right hand between her own legs. Reaching her swollen lips, she brushed a finger along the slit. Watching Vanessa's little show had already caused a flood to accumulate promptly. As the tip of her fingers reached her already throbbing clit, she moaned the blonde's name, grinding herself down onto the intruding digit.

The blonde had been stunned into silence. Her own game had been thrown right back into her face… _.literally_. Her eyes drank in the sight mere inches from her face. She felt her heart skip a beat upon seeing and hearing the teachers finger dance through a sea of wetness. The clit beneath her own finger began to throb more profoundly. Unable to resist, she lifted her hand from her breast, moving it towards Charity’s thigh. Before she could touch her skin, her hand was swatted away. She lifted her gaze to the teachers, receiving a playful glare.

“No touching, Vanessa” Charity scolded, receiving a pout form the smaller blonde.

Getting back to her task, Charity brought a second finger to her clit, grinding down onto the circling finger tips. “Oh 'Ness, this feels so good….” she moaned. Her left hand moved to grip the top of the headboard, steadying her writhing body. She never took her eyes off the blonde, who's own eyes never strayed from the hand embedded between her girlfriends legs. “Vanessa, I'm so wet….can you see….?”

The blonde didn't trust her voice, so instead just nodded her response. She needed to touch the teacher, but she realised that wasn't an option right now. Bringing her fingers back to life, she felt her own wetness had increased considerably. She couldn't suppress the quick intake of breath as her fingers glided easily through her folds. “Charity..” she breathed. “I'm so wet. You make me… you make me so wet…”

Charity's hips began to move quicker. She glided her fingers up and down the slick folds. “Ness….I want you to push 2 fingers into yourself. Do it with me.”

A flush had crept up onto the reporters cheeks. She was so hot right now. She needed her release. Hearing Charity's command she looked up and nodded her compliance. Spreading her legs a little further apart, she immediately sank 2 fingers within her warm, tight walls. Her eyes strayed to the teachers centre, watching as Charity followed suit, thrusting her own fingers into her wet core.

“Ness, babe..” she moaned, rocking herself against her fingers. She leaned her body down, bringing her mouth an inch away from the blondes. Her tongue snaked out, licking along the blonde's bottom lip. Vanessa opened her mouth at the touch, desperately wanting to crash their lips together. Instead she slid her own tongue out, gliding it along the teachers. They licked one another’s protruding muscle, barely able to contain their need for more. Their fingers continued a steady rhythm inside drenched folds.

Charity's hips ground down hard onto her hand. Her breasts grazing over the blonde's with every thrust.

“Charity..” Vanessa breathed. “I'm so close…” She continued to thrust her fingers into herself with a more urgent pace, her hips matching the beats. With every thrust her fingers grazed over the erect clit.

“Me too baby. Come with….me, ughh.” Charity's pace quickened again. She was so close. Her mind was a fog of love and lust and her body responded with every stroke to her clit. Her left hand gripped the headboard as she rode against the hand beneath her. She pushed down hard, grinding her hips as her breaths shortened, catching in her throat as her body readied itself for release. “Ohhhh, 'Ness….I'm…”

Vanessa focused on the shuddering woman above as the first few ripples of pleasure washed through her. She could smell Charity's arousal. She could hear her fingers thrusting into the wetness. Her own hand continued its assault inside herself. And then she heard it….Charity's moans of release echoed in her ears and she let go with a soft moan as an orgasm ripped through her body. Her eye's never left the teachers. She thrust up hard against the fingers within in, her clit throbbing against her hand. Charity continued to groan her name above. They stayed like that for another few moments, riding out the waves of pleasure.

Eventually Charity's body flopped down onto the blondes, unable to take anymore. Steadying her breathing she lifted her head from Vanessa's shoulder. Their eye's met, a look of admiration passed between them. “Wow…” she croaked.

Vanessa let out a soft laugh. “Uh huh” she panted. “Wow!”

Lifting herself to lie at the side of the blonde, Charity lay her hand on the blondes stomach. “That was….intense.”

Vanessa nodded. “I was only planning on teasing you a little….but, wow. That was so good…” she finished with a smile.

“I didn't hurt you, did I? Your mouth…?”

“No, no, you didn't hurt me, Charity. The complete opposite actually.”

“Good.”

After a few more minutes of loving chatter, they both succumbed to sleep, the day and nights events finally catching up on them.

\------

A couple of days later, Vanessa was sat looking out of the passenger side window as Charity drove through town, on route to a self defence class. After a home visit from Jack Sugden the day before, he'd recommended the 2 of them find a way to defend themselves should anything, like the attack on Monday, happen again. A knowing glance had passed between the 2 women as they thought about the gun still boxed in Charity's cupboard.

After Jack's departure, Charity had stayed true to her word and returned the gun to the shop she bought it from. She'd felt a moment of hesitation….just a moment, while sitting in the car outside the shop. She was in 2 minds whether to tell the blonde she had returned it, but keep it hidden somewhere else in the house. The honest side of the teacher's conscience won out and she returned the lethal weapon.

After spending some time yesterday deciding on what they could do to make themselves more prepared should another attack occur, Charity had been online in search of any local self defence classes. To her surprise, there was a class for women only at the gym she used to attend in town. They met on a Wednesday and Friday afternoon which coincided well with the couples current plans.

The week so far had passed relatively quickly and without further news from or about the killer. Vanessa's bruising had luckily not worsened since Monday and make-up was doing a good job of concealing the worst of it. The cut above her lip had also began to heal nicely.

“I was thinking…” Charity started, “…we don't need to go away this Friday. I mean, with everything you've been through lately, I can't imagine socialising with a bunch of my old school connections is at the top of your to do list.”

The blonde looked at her thoughtfully. “Well, no, it's not at the top of my list” she smiled. “And being at social gatherings while I look like this is pretty off putting, but having a weekend away is just what the doctor ordered.”

“I don't remember your doct…'”

“Figure of speech Charity” the blonde interrupted. Her hand came to rest on the teachers thigh, giving it a squeeze. “In another couple of days my bruising should start to go down and I'll no longer look like I've hit the ground while practising my mad ninja skills…”

The teacher laughed out loud to Vanessa's take on her bruisings. “Your ninja skills are kinda crazy, babe…” She took her hand from the steering wheel, laying it on top of the blondes which still rested on her thigh.

“Yea, I'm hardcore babe. But seriously, a couple of nights away from everything would be nice. Plus, I'm kind of looking forward to hearing other peoples stories on the teenage Charity Dingle.”

“Hasn't Cain told you enough?”

“He's...told me _some_. But he won't tell me anything juicy - in fear of you kicking his arse.”

“Sounds about right” Charity agreed.

Vanessa continued to lightly stroke the thigh in her grip. Her mind drifted to the phone call she'd made to Ross the night before. The night before, Charity had made her thoughts on the blonde meeting with Ross in person quite clear, so a phone call had been the next best thing. He'd been very concerned about her. He'd admitted to wanting to get in touch but thought better of it, knowing it would tic the teacher off.

The more Vanessa had thought about Friday night and everything Charity had said to her about the kiss, the more she felt Ross may have set the whole night up - just as her girlfriend had suspected. The blonde didn't want to believe he would be so devious though. With no Amy showing up, and the endless stream of drinks. 

It was completely out of character for her to get so drunk. Was she really that much of a push over? To just allow herself lose control of everything she believed in, everything she had practised years before? Or was it just the fact Ross had been unwilling to hear the word no? After the first few drinks she didn't quite remember how many she'd actually knocked back in the end, which was an awful thing for her to admit. 

But being with Ross that night…..she'd felt safe. He was one of her oldest friends and he was an officer of the law. She felt there was no cause for concern - why would she?

Well, the knowing fact that he had feelings for her should have sent off some warning signs. Taking more notice of this situation, she'd started to believe that Ross, more so than not, had taken her out in hopes of her letting go. Giving him the opportunity to….to…..what? She couldn't quite work it out. Like she'd promised Charity though, she would cut all ties with him.

During the phone call, she'd given him the chance to explain his actions. He'd answered her straight. _'We went out to meet our old friend_ _Amy_ _, who at the last minute had to cancel on us due to an incident at work._ ' He assured her he wasn't lying. If Vanessa really didn't believe him then she could ring Amy herself. Luckily for Ross, she decided not to call his bluff. He continued telling her _'We had a laugh, drank a lot, but that's what happens when friends catch up.'_ He reminded her that he had drank just as much as she had. He told her he brought her home safe, helped her onto the couch and then admitted that he had kissed her goodnight, but that was all it had been, just a simple peck on the lips. He apologised, realising it obviously wasn't the smartest thing he could have done.

The blonde had taken her time on making a decision. In the end however, she'd told him this had to stop. She'd made it clear to him, several times now that she was gay. Not only that but she was in a happy, loving relationship and he didn't have the right to behave like this. He was threatening her relationship with Charity and she didn't appreciate it one bit. As she'd agreed with Charity, she told him it would be for the best if they broke all social ties with each other, only seeing one another for work purposes. He answered simply. “Ok.” And that was that.

It felt like a weight had been lifted from her stomach. Ever since that night she'd made him dinner and he'd made a pass at her, she'd felt a sense of trepidation. It had eased after she'd put him in his place, hence why she'd agreed to go out on Friday night. But the anxiety had returned on Saturday, once she'd sobered up and learned all the facts of the night before. Now things had almost certainly been resolved, she felt slightly better again.

Unfortunately, there was still another problem weighing her down. She knew, until the killer was found and exposed that that last weight wouldn't be disappearing.

Coming from her thoughts, Vanessa realised they'd entered a car park, Charity bringing the car to a smooth stop. Giving one last squeeze of the other woman’s thigh, she took off her seat belt before opening the door. Hand in hand, they walked toward the gym.

Upon walking into the building, they were greeted by Tracy, Chas and Rhona, the 3 of them in a quiet discussion over by the reception desk.

“Ahh _, finally_ _”_ Rhona started. “We've signed the 2 of you up already so we can go right in…” she finished, heading towards some double doors.

“Ummm, what's got her so jumpy with enthusiasm?” Charity asked the other 2 women.

“Well, you did say it was an _all female_ class….” Chas told them. “She's eager to get in there.”

The taller blonde rolled her eyes. Typical Rhona. Following their friend beyond the double doors, the group made their way to the hired room. Entering the large space, they noted only half a dozen women standing in the middle of the room. It wasn't long before a young woman, definitely dressed for the occasion in yoga pants, with a low cut strap top entered behind them.

“Good afternoon, ladies” she greeted the group, making her way to the other side of the room.

Rhona leaned her body back towards her friends. “Oh yea, that's what I'm talking about…” she threw over her shoulder.

The girls didn't have time to reply as the instructor began to introduce herself. “Well, it's great to see some new faces in here today” she smiled, coming closer to the group. Her eye's landing on Vanessa, her smile faltered slightly. She walked closer to the blonde, giving her a knowing nod of the head. “I'm glad you could make it here with us today” she told Vanessa, stopping just in front of her. “My name is Sara, and I vow to show you some tactics to make sure things like that…” she continued, pointing to the blonde's eye “…never happen again.”

Vanessa shifted uncomfortably on her feet, not much enjoying having the entire class look at her. Sensing her embarrassment, Charity came closer, engulfing the blondes hand in her own. The instructor watched the movement and looked up at the taller blonde, a broad smile appearing on her face. With a nod of her head she turned back around and headed back to the front of the group.

“Right ladies, seeing as we have a few new faces in here today, I'm going to quickly discuss with you the emotional and psychological complications that follow an attack.” She began to pace as she continued to speak, looking at each of her class attendees. “Now, every attack is different and can affect us all in so many different ways. It doesn't matter how strong you think you are, both physically or emotionally….being physically attacked can change all of that in a heartbeat. Now I realise some of you may never have been in this kind of situation, and I pray to God you never do. but knowing some basic forms of self-defence can never do any harm.”

She took a moment to reach into her bag and retrieve a drink. Taking a quick sip, she screwed the top back on and threw it back on top of her bag.

“So….the effects of being attacked. Let’s start with fear. Now this is one of the most common affects for someone to experience after being assaulted. You constantly look over your shoulder. You jump at the slightest of sounds; you flinch away from being touched. Not just by strangers, but sometimes even your close family and friends. This can lead to anxiety and stress. Depression is another primary side effect. You break away from taking part in your normal activities. Like going to work for instance, meeting with friends, even going out to the supermarket. I think you'll all agree with me that _this_ , is no way to live.

She continued to discuss a few more complications with the group for a further 5 minutes before asking them to find a partner. With Vanessa pairing with Charity and Tracy with Chas, Rhona was more than willing to pair up as the instructor’s dummy. With a mischievous wink, she left her friends and headed to the front of the class.

“Now, in case you hadn't noticed…” Sara started, “….this is a woman's only class. I've set it up this way for 2 reasons. Number one, women, especially those who have been attacked by a man, begin to feel uncomfortable in the presence of the opposite sex, more so if you're going to be enacting out defensive moves. While one may disagree and say it is better to have a man here, to go off his strength and perhaps rid yourself of fear. I say however, its better for us girls to stick together. To make eachother strong again. And reason number 2, we're all better to look at..” she finished with a smile. Making a sideways glance at Rhona, she grinned deviously. They looked at each other for a few seconds longer than was necessary. Hearing an exaggerated cough from one of the attendees, it was Sara that broke the gaze.

The group as well as the half a dozen other attendee's let out an amused laugh at Tracy's faked cough.

“Right, so…” Sara continued with a flush appearing on her cheeks. “….self defence techniques.”

\-------

Later that evening, Vanessa made her way into the living room after a hot shower. She was just in time to see Charity hanging up the phone. The teacher looked over at her with an amused smile on her lips.

“That was Rhona…” she started.

The smaller blonde rolled her eyes as she sat on the couch. “Don't tell me, she rang to tell us that she and Sara have hit it off and she has already been given a private lesson.”

Charity laughed. “Actually that's almost word for word what she said, well done babe.”

“I know how she operates.”

“Yea, I think it was blindingly obvious, even to those other women in the group that something was going to happen between the instructor and her real life dummy.”

The class had been very educational for the group. After being told and shown different forms of attack, Sara had gotten them to try out some basic moves. She advised them that during an attack - of a male on a female - women are more likely to be slapped, grabbed and pinned, where as men who are attacked are likely to be punched or kicked. For this reason, women needed different techniques to get out of a particular situation. Having been both punched and slapped as well as pinned to the bed, Vanessa had known all too well what it felt like.

Sara hadn't wanted them to focus on 'tough guy' tactics during this first lesson. She'd pointed out that in most self defensive situation’s, it wasn't practical for a woman to fight off a man. Vanessa again agreed with her. She hadn't even been given the chance to fight back on Monday. She'd been completely taken by surprise.

Before they had tried out some moves, Sara had focused on the real strengths a woman had, including intuition and the ability to recognise a bad situation and remove themselves before an attack could happen. She told them of ways to distract an attacker….such as throwing your keys and then running in the opposite direction. Women are also good at talking their way out of a situation.

Ofcourse, all of this aside, she told them if the chance arose to get the better of the attacker, they had to follow their intuition and get away from the situation as quickly as possible, even if that meant kicking some attacker arse.

“I really enjoyed the class today” Vanessa spoke. “I think Sara taught us some pretty useful tips.”

Charity nodded her agreement. It had been hard for her to hear some of what Sara had told them. _The affects of being attacked_. Her mind had drifted to Vanessa's ordeal and what the blonde must be feeling inside. She worried that perhaps the blonde was bottling up her real feelings. On the drive home she'd asked the blonde as much. Vanessa though had assured her that she was coping just fine. Though the teacher had her doubts, she chose to accept the blondes answer.

“Do you fancy trying out some moves with me?”

Charity's thoughts drifted away as the blonde spoke. “You mean the ones we did today?”

The blonde nodded, getting to her feet. She reached down and grasped the teacher’s hand, pulling her up from the couch. “I went easy on you this afternoon, but I thought maybe's now we were in the comfort of our own home, I could go all out.”

“Is that right?” the teacher smirked. “So, are you going to be the attacker, or the attacked?”

Pondering her thoughts for a moment, Vanessa turned her back to Charity. “I'll be the attacked.”

Charity hesitated for a moment, she didn't want the blonde to feel uncomfortable. Vanessa sensed the teacher’s hesitation and turned to look at her. “Charity…” She linked her hands around the other woman’s waist. “Please, stop worrying babe. I'm asking you to do this. How am I meant to ever do it if I don't practice?”

Charity searched the sparkling blue eyes for any sign of apprehension. Not seeing any, she let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Closing the gap between them, she let her lips mould onto the smaller woman's. Pulling back, she quirked a smile. “OK, turn around. But go easy on me babe, rein in those ninja moves.”

Chuckling, the blonde turned herself once again. Within seconds the teacher placed her hands on Vanessa's shoulders. Quickly responding to the touch, Vanessa brought her right hand up and grabbed hold of Charity's left wrist. Swinging her left arm in the air, the blonde turned swiftly to her left until she was facing Charity. The move had enabled her to lock both of the teacher's hands under her left arm, releasing her right hand from the teacher’s wrist, she brought her hand back and began thrusting it forward towards Charity's exposed left hand side. Before reaching the rib cage she halted her move, letting her fingers tickle at the teachers side.

“Arghhh” Charity protested, attempting to wriggle out of the blonde's grasp. The writer released her grip on the teacher’s arms before taking a step back. “I hope you don't plan on tickling an attacker 'Ness. Not everyone’s as ticklish as me.”

“You know, I wonder if anyone has actually ever tried that? Ticklin’ their attacker. I mean, it is a form of torture isn't it?”

Charity cocked her head to the side. “Hmm, true. But if it’s all the same to you, I'd go with the nice right hook to the ribcage instead.”

“I'm inclined to agree, Charity” she smiled. Pondering her next move, the blonde lay down on the floor at Charity's feet. “Right, next move. Pretend you've thrown me to the ground, come straddle me” she instructed the teacher while patting her stomach.

Doing as she was told, Charity stood over the blonde before crouching down and straddling her stomach. She looked down at the reporter below. She immediately saw the colour of the blonde's eyes turn a deeper shade of blue. She smirked to herself calculatingly. “This good for you babe?”

The blonde's nostrils flared slightly. “Focus Charity…” she grinned.

With the grin still plastered on her face, Charity bent her body down towards the blonde. Remembering the move Sara had shown the class, she slinked her right arm underneath the blonde's neck while her left forearm lay flat against Vanessa's throat. Her mouth was a mere inch away from the blonde's beneath. She felt her stomach begin to flutter.

_Focus_ _Charity_ _, focus damn it! This is serious stuff, I can't have naughty thoughts running through my hea…._

She was brought from her internal rambling as she felt Vanessa's left arm slide quickly between their bodies, then before she knew it, her face was being pushed away by the blondes firm hand. “Oouufff” she scoffed into the intruding hand. Bringing her arms away from the blonde’s neck, Charity sat herself up. “Not bad.”

Vanessa's eyes twinkled as she looked up at the taller blonde. Without warning Charity of her next move, she brought her knees up until her feet locked the teachers into her thighs. Thrusting her hips up into Charity's crotch she watched as the startled blonde fell forward, catching herself with her hands above her head. Vanessa continued the move by grabbing at Charity's left arm and bringing it into her body. In a second she'd flipped them over until she was sitting on her knees, in between the legs of her stunned girlfriend.

Charity's face was a picture. She'd barely had time to breathe never mind speak. She looked at the blonde, a hint of pride etched on her face. “Now that was a good move babe, I didn't see it coming.”

Releasing her hold on Charity's left arm, she leaned herself over the toned body beneath her. “That was the plan.” She gyrated her hips forward, penetrating in between Charity's legs. The teacher's hips lifted up slightly at the gesture, eager to feel more. The blonde brought her lips down, readily capturing Charity's. Her tongue poked out, beginning to map out the insides of her girlfriends mouth.

Charity lifted her legs, wrapping them around the blondes body, squeezing her as close as she could. Vanessa broke away from the kiss, moving her mouth down to the teachers ear, she began to run her tongue over the small area. “I want you, Charity” she whispered. The feel of the blonde's breath trickling over her neck sent shivers down Charity's body.

“Bed….now….” Charity told her before scrambling to her feet.

On Friday morning, Charity was carrying their luggage to the car, ready to head off to Ultionis Manor. It had been arranged that Charity would drive herself, Vanessa and Chas while Rhona would pick up Sara - her plus 1 for the weekend, Tracy and Lori. Cain and Moira would also travel together in Cain’s car.

Vanessa's bruising had started to go down, which made the smaller blonde feel a lot better about herself. She'd been feeling quite apprehensive about all the quick fire questions she'd likely receive from the reunion guests. Charity had given her an out several times this week, but Vanessa had stood firm. She really wanted to get away for a couple of days. 

Closing the boot of her car, Charity wandered back over to the house. “You all set to go 'Ness?”

The blonde walked out of the kitchen. “Yea, just about. I'll just go check the doors again…”

Charity watched her walk through to the bedroom. Though Vanessa had assured her on several occasions that she was fine and not suffering from any post attack symptoms, the writers constant need to check things over and over had become more apparent over the last few days. Almost like it had become an OCD. If this was as far as her symptoms went though - being overly cautious, it wasn't such a bad thing. Picking up her handbag, Charity stood at the door, waiting for the blonde to join her.

An hour after picking Chas up, Charity's car was coasting down the motorway. The teacher was sat drumming her fingers on the steering wheel to some music that played quietly on the radio. A hand, belonging to the smaller blonde haired occupant of the passenger seat, stroked her idly on the thigh. Traffic had been quite busy this morning, meaning they'd been sat stationary for a large part of the journey so far.

“Why didn't you invite a friend along Chas?” Charity asked, looking at the backseat passenger through the rear view mirror.

Chas shrugged, casting her gaze on the passing cars. “I don't really have anyone to invite. I'm not with Bruce, Paddy is…” she trailed off, clenching her jaw. She caught Charity's eye in the mirror. “I don't really want to get involved with anyone else. It's dangerous…..to know me.” She looked back out of the window as the front seat occupants cast a glance at each other.

Vanessa leant back against the headrest and silently sighed. It wasn't Chas that was dangerous to know, it was _her._ The reporter. The woman the killer had admitted was killing all these people for. The woman that had been attacked by said killer just days earlier. She opened her eyes. “I'm sorry Chas…” she whispered softly.

“Ness…” Charity started, moving a hand from the steering wheel, placing it on the hand which still lay on her thigh. “…you've got nothing to be sorry for.” She laced their fingers together. The teacher felt frustrated at her sister's tactless comment. She glanced up at the mirror again. She wanted to silently tell Chas to be a bit more thoughtful, but the back seat passenger continued to glance out of the window.

“Charity's right, Vanessa…” Chas said. She brought a hand up to squeeze the blonde's shoulder. “You've got nothin’ to be sorry for. All you're guilty of is writing a story and finding true love. No matter what some lunatic in a clown suit writes to you, you can't be held responsible for their actions.”

Vanessa was grateful for Chas's words, patting the reassuring hand on her shoulder in response before it slid back out of reach. She took in a deep breath and sighed again. It didn't matter what anyone said though. For some reason, unknown to her, the killer was using her as motivation for his disgusting acts. It wasn't justified, but a simple fact.

A little while later, Charity turned her car into a private estate, driving through open steel gates. Following the winding road, an extremely large and old looking building came into view. She slowed the car as they all glanced up at the hotel.

Chas let out an involuntarily shiver. “It looks like something out of a bloody horror movie” she said.

“I suppose it probably looks better on the inside” Charity said in awe. “It’s a 5 star hotel after all.” She had a quick glance at Vanessa then resumed the drive up towards the building.

“There's Cain's car” Vanessa pointed towards the parked porsche.

Bringing the car to a stop next to the Radio Dj's, Charity glanced up at the hotel. “Well, were here.” She sat still and turned to the blonde. Catching her eye she grinned. “Shall we?”

“Let's” the smaller blonde replied.

Getting the bags from the boot, the 3 women made their way over to Ultionis Manor. Walking through the open doors, they surveyed the hotel lobby.

“Good morning Ladies…” a well dressed man said as he walked towards them, “…are you here for the reunion?”

Charity smiled. “Mornin’, yea we are. It's Charity Dingle, Vanessa Woodfield and Chas Turner.”

He nodded. “Splendid, if you'd like to follow me, we're just waiting on a few more guests to arrive.”

They followed the man into a large room over to the right. There were around a dozen other guests standing or sitting in various parts of the room already. They immediately found Cain who raised his arm in greeting. The woman he had been talking to looked over her shoulder.

“Oh my god” Charity exclaimed. “Bernice!”

The redhead she was addressing broke out into a huge smile as she turned and walked towards the new arrivals. “Charity, my god you look absolutely gorgeous!”

The teacher embraced her old friend enthusiastically. She pulled back, taking the redheads hand in her own. “So do you” she laughed. Turning to her girlfriend the teacher put a hand on Vanessa's shoulder. “Bernie, I'd like you to meet…”

“Vanessa…” Bernice interrupted. “Seriously Charity, I live in a caravan, not under a rock! Ofcourse I know her name!” The redhead grinned to the blonde. “It's wonderful to meet you Vanessa. Your article was a lovely tribute to my friend here. I'm Bernice Cavanaugh by the way” she smiled. “And this here” she continued, gesturing over her shoulder to a tall man, is my husband, Liam.”

“Husband?” Charity asked. “I should’ve known.” She looked at Vanessa. “These 2 have been together since nursery.”

Liam laughed, stepping up to Bernice's side. “Not quite that long, but near enough. It's good to see you Charity” he smiled, stepping closer to the teacher, placing a kiss on her cheek.

“You too. I see your hair is still ridiculously perfect” she joked, ruffling her fingers through his brown locks.

“Well he spends enough time looking at the mirror in a morning” Bernice mocked.

“Is this a private gathering or can anyone join in” a small woman enquired with a stern glare. The twinkle in her eyes however told the group she was only teasing.

“Priya” Charity said excitedly excitedly before moving towards the small woman.

“Ooomph, easy Dingle” the woman chuckled while being practically lifted off her feet.

Pulling back, Charity beamed at her old school acquaintances.. She sought out the blondes hand and gave it a squeeze. “I have to admit, I wasn't really looking forward to coming here. Cain more or less forced us to join this facebook group…” she said, waving her free hand around. “I never thought you guys would show up though. I mean, last I heard” she continued, looking to Liam and Bernice, “…you guys had moved to London to do some sort of medical intern-ship.”

“You heard right missus” Bernice smiled. “Not just us though, Priya's with us too. The small woman nodded her head in agreement. “The 3 of us moved down there a few years ago. We're all residents at the same hospital.”

“Wow” Cain spoke up. “I'm impressed. A former jock now a budding doctor….” he slapped Liam on the back.

“Gangs altogether then…” another man said, joining the group. He smiled warmly at Charity. “It's good to see you Charity. You're still as beautiful and gay as ever” he finished, winked towards Vanessa.

The teacher laughed as she welcomed his embrace. “Hey Jai and yes to both of those” she replied.

He turned his attention to the smaller blonde. “Vanessa, it's a pleasure to meet such a talented young writer. Charity here is one hell of a lucky woman.”

Vanessa offered her hand in greeting to which he gratefully accepted. He brought the hand to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on top. “It's nice to meet you Jai” she smiled, feeling a little shy under every ones gaze.

“Have no fear, tequila is here…” a voice bellowed.

They all turned to the source of the voice. “Who's that” Bernice spoke quietly, watching the woman walking towards them.

Vanessa rolled her eye's as she watched Rhona come further into the room, closely followed by Sara, Tracy and Lori.

“That would be Rhona” Charity laughed.

Just as the new arrivals joined the group, the man that had escorted them into the meeting area cleared his throat at the door. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to have you with us today. My name is Ashley Thomas and I will be just one of the many hands here to help make your stay with us as enjoyable and relaxing as possible. If you would like to stay in here a little longer to have a good catch up then please, feel free…” A young man glided passed Ashley and headed towards the bar area over to the left. “The bar is now open so feel free to use it. As soon as you are ready to be shown to your rooms, you can find several employees, aswell as myself out here in the lobby.” He bowed his head as he left the room.

“Nice guy…” Jai said.

“So” Rhona started. “Who's for tequila?”

\------

Half an hour later Charity, Vanessa and the rest of the guests made their way towards their assigned rooms. In the brief time Charity had chatted to her old school friends, she had gotten to know quite a bit about their life after high school.

Bernice and Liam had stuck together through college and medical school and now worked together at the same hospital in London. Liam specialised in neurosurgery while Bernice worked in paediatrics. Charity learned they currently lived in a caravan, out in the woods, much to Bernice's frustration. Liam apparently had funds to build a house on a patch of land he owned near the caravan park. Lack of free time however, meant the project was going at a snail’s pace. They'd been married for several years now. When asked if there were kids in their future, Bernice had made it clear she wanted another few child-free years to establish herself in her career before her body turned into a baby machine

Priya Wade, like the other 2 had become a doctor. She'd attended a different medical school, but as luck would have it, ended up accepting a position at the same London hospital as Bernice and Liam. She'd come along to the reunion with her boyfriend Eli who it turned out is an anaesthesiologist at the same hospital. They'd been dating for nearly a year now.

Lastly was Jai, forever the ladies man. He'd come along to the reunion with his best mate John. The 2 of them were partners in a law firm. They hadn't been up and running for too long, but business was steady enough. As Charity would have expected, Jai hadn't settled down yet. Still the player he always was in high school it seemed.

Making their way down a long corridor, some of the guests peeled off to their designated rooms. Finally making it to the end room of the long corridor, Charity slipped her key card into the lock.

“Typical” she started, “…we have a proper hike to get to our room.” Seeing the light turn green she pushed down the handle, sliding the door open as she stepped beyond the threshold.

Vanessa followed the teacher into the room. “Well, on an upside, were at least 4 doors down from the guys. That means we can enjoy some extreme wild sex in this…whoa…” she gasped, looking around the room, “…king size bed!”

“Extreme wild sex did you say?” Charity enquired. “I like the sound of that, babe.”

The blonde smirked before looking around one of the most glorious hotel rooms she'd ever seen. The main highlight of the room was the huge window that over looked the front of the house. The sun came gleaming in through stain glass windows and long, heavy curtains were draped off to the sides. To the right of the room was a huge twin set of wardrobes. They looked like something off the set of Narnia, only they were bigger. Next to that, in the corner near the door was an antique desk and mirror, all in beautiful shape. On the other side of the room was the bed. It wasn't just any bed though. This bed was probably 3 times the size of their bed at home. The 4 poster bed was made of strong carved wood. The posts were massive, almost touching the ceiling. There were drapes and curtains hiding half of the bed which, from where they were standing, looked like the most comfortable bed in the world.

Beginning to unpack their belongings, they talked about the reunion turnout. “I really can't believe the guys are here. We used to be so tight!”

Vanessa flashed a smile, finding her girlfriends enthusiasm extremely cute. “They seem like lovely people. No one's mentioned anything about the bruise here.”

Closing the zip on her empty bag, Charity moved toward the blonde. “Babe, no one's mentioned anything because there's hardly anything there.” She snaked her hands around the smaller woman's hips. “Your make up's pretty much concealed it all” she said before leaning in for a kiss. Before the kiss could go any further there was a knock at the door.

“Something tells me were not gonna be getting much alone time this weekend…” Vanessa sighed as she made for the door. Pulling it open she was greeted by Rhona.

“Hey, so what are you….” the photographer trailed off as her eye's shifted passed the blonde. Pushing passed Vanessa, she wondered into the room, her mouth open. “What the hell? How have you 2 got a room like this?” She looked from the writer to the teacher who both shrugged. “Here we are in crappy little guest rooms and you get the honeymoon suite. Wow, I really got screwed over.”

“What do your rooms look like” Vanessa asked, making herself comfortable on the side of the bed.

“Well for a start, they're about 1/6 the size of this room. There's one tiny little wardrobe that can fit probably only half my stuff never mind Sara's.” 

“There's a cute little bed though” reported Sara from the door way.

Rhona looked over. “Yea which is going to mean lack of space.”

“Who says you’re going to need any space” the instructor told her, quirking her lip in to a suggestive smile. Rhona's face softened, and Vanessa was sure she could see a flush appear on the photographers cheeks. They grinned at each other, lost in their own world. Charity looked at Vanessa before shaking her head.

“Well I guess we'll go finish unpacking” Rhona announced, walking toward the door. “You guys gonna meet us downstairs in a bit?”

The blonde nodded. “Sure, we're just gona finish up in here too. Give us half an hour yea?”

“Sounds good, see you then.”

Seeing the door close behind the 2 women, Charity moved to the bed and fell back into the mattress. “Now this is what I call comfort.”

\------

Twenty minutes later they headed down to the lounge to meet the rest of the group. They took a few minutes taking in the Hotels décor. It was easy to see from the wall and ceiling carvings that this place had been sitting here a few hundred years. Obviously through the years it had been restored several times. Neither of them had ever stayed in such a lavish establishment. They intended to take full advantage of it while they had the chance. Hand in hand they strode into the meeting room.

“Here come the love birds” Rhona threw over her shoulder.

Tracy turned to look at her sister. “What's this I hear about you 2 having a proper lush room?”

“What can I say little sis, sometimes we get lucky.” The smaller blonde led her girlfriend over to some empty seats by the window.

The group fell into easy conversation until Ashley Thomas walked in. “If you would like to make your way into the dining room, some snacks have been lain out for you all.” Within the next few minutes, they all got to their feet and followed the man through to the dining room.

After eating, they sat around the table discussing what they were going to do that day. Vanessa was playing with Charity's hair, curling it around in her fingers. She leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “I was thinking maybe you and I could have a little walk in the woods out the back there?” 

Charity turned her head to look at the blonde, whose blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “That sounds like a great idea, babe” she smiled. Turning back to the group she began to get to her feet. “Right, were off for a walk to digest our food.”

“Oh cool” Chas replied. “Think we'll join you.”

Charity took a sideways glance at Vanessa before attempting a non too obvious excuse. “Erm, ugh, Chas, we kind of wanted some time alone. You know, just time to talk…”

“Ohh” Chas started. “Ohhhh” she said again, this time getting the hint. “I get you. Go on then, get yourselves away. We can catch up later.” 

Vanessa pushed her chair in and sought out Charity's hand. “I packed that poker set” she said to others. “Maybes we could all play later?”

“Did someone say strip poker?” Cain enquired, sitting up in his chair.

The girls at the table rolled their eyes and threw their napkins at the Radio DJ telling him to d _ream on_.

“Ok, Ok I give” Cain surrendered. “Moira knows there's only one body I wona see any road.” 

“And on that note” Charity replied. “Let’s go 'Ness.”

Exiting the front of the hotel, they walked around the side of it, following the path down a hill that lead to the mound of tree's below. They climbed over the fence and started making their way through the woodlands. After about 15 minutes they came upon a stream with a mini waterfall.

“Oh Charity, look at this. Isn't it beautiful?!” 

“Yea, it is. Go stand by it and I’ll take a picture.” 

Vanessa walked carefully over a few rocks and crouched down at the bottom end of the waterfall. At one point she lost her balance, almost tippling into the steam.

“Close call” Charity laughed. Lifting her phone with the camera already loaded, she settled the lens on her girlfriend. “Ok, say ' _Ness_ _has cheesy feet_ ” she smiled, taking a snap shot.

After the flash went off, the smaller blonde stood up and came skipping over to Charity who started to laugh and back away quickly. “C _heesy feet_ did you say? I'll give you cheesy feet.” Grabbing at Charity's wrists, the blonde pinned them behind the teachers back. She pressed her body into Charity's, her face mere centimetres away. She leaned in, engulfing Charity's bottom lip between her teeth. Pulling at it slightly, she smiled as a moan escaped the teacher’s mouth.

They played around for the next half hour, taking pictures of each other near different sites and just enjoying the time together. Finding a nice patch of grass under a blossom tree, Charity sat down signalling for the blonde to lay her head in her lap. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the sound of nature around them.

Charity looked down at Vanessa, whose eyes were currently closed but a smile played on the blonde's lips. That smile that took Charity's breath away. She knew her lips so well. How they felt, how they tasted. She could never get enough.

Lost in the thought luscious lips and blue eyes, Charity didn't realise the blonde had opened her eyes. The smile she'd been staring at grew wider. “What are you thinking?” Vanessa asked.

Charity smiled, lifting her hand to run her fingers through blonde locks. “How much I love ya…” she admitted.

The blonde closed her eyes momentarily, basking in the teachers soft caresses. “I love you too..” she replied, opening her eye's again. They gazed at one another for a few moments. “It’s so peaceful here” Vanessa breathed.

Charity nodded in response, shifting her gaze to their surroundings. They sat in silence again just loving the scenery and the fresh air….and of course the alone time. After a while Vanessa lifted her arm, looking at her watch.

“Blimey, its almost 5 o'clock.”

“I guess we should start walking back then” Charity replied. “Let's have a slow walk, eh?”

Getting to their feet the couple began their journey back to the hotel, fingers entwined.

\------

It was some 45 minutes later that they arrived back at the hotel. Making their way to the room they'd been shown to when they first arrived, they found everyone laughing and joking….and slightly tipsy. They'd been informed a private meal was being prepared for them at 7. After a brief chat they'd all headed back to their own rooms in preparation for the evening meal. Ashley Thomas had told them that their host would be joining them for dinner.

At quarter to 7, Charity and Vanessa made their way back down to the dining room, refreshed and starving. The newly reacquainted friends were scattered around various parts of the room. Vanessa stood with Rhona and Tracy discussing the assortment of activities they'd found dotted in and outside of the hotel earlier that day.

A large indoor swimming pool was situated downstairs, alongside a jacuzzi and sauna room. Rhona had already spent several hours in the Jacuzzi with Sara that afternoon. Outside and situated at the rear of the hotel, a tennis and basketball court was available. Ashley Thomas had been close by and had seemed more than eager to share the history of hotel. The basketball court had been the latest addition to the modernised Ultionis hotel.

Vanessa's eye's strayed over to the other side of the room. Within seconds green eye's met her gaze. She flashed a smile as the teacher winked over.

“So damn cute…”

Charity turned her head to the source of the voice. It seemed Bernice had caught her gesture and stood shaking her head amusingly.

“You aint seen nothing yet” Cain answered the redhead. “They're always giving each other those puppy dog, lovey dovey eyes. I'd say it's gross but I'd be lying. It's totally hot.”

“Sod off, Cain.” Charity smirked, bringing her wine glass to her lips.

Bernice laughed. “I think it’s great Charity. You look so happy and even I have to admit, Vanessa is _hot_.”

Charity beamed with pride at her friends' opinions of her girl. Her eye's strayed over to the blonde again, watching her laugh at something her sister was describing. “She is…” the blonde breathed. A few minutes passed as Charity lost herself in thoughts of bouncy blonde hair, striking blue eyes and…

“I can't wait to see who this mystery hotel owner is….”

Charity came back to the conversation as Bernice mentioned something she'd been interested in knowing too. “I wonder if we know them?” she spoke. “I mean, was there no mention of him or her on the load of crap book?”

“It's _facebook_ Dingle and no…” Cain answered with a roll of his eyes.

“Ladies and Gentleman, if I could have your attention please….” Everyone stopped their conversations and turned towards Ashley. “Dinner shall be served momentarily, if you would like to take your seats.” With that he re-entered the kitchen area.

Making her way towards her girlfriend, Charity pulled out a seat, indicating for Vanessa to sit down first.

“Thank you…' the blonde smiled.

As Vanessa sat, Charity pushed the chair in slightly before settling herself in the seat beside her. She set her glass down before moving her hand to the blonde’s thigh. “You OK, babe?”

Vanessa nodded with a smile. “I'm good.” They both leaned in, brushing their lips softly together.

“Ladies please, we're about to eat…”

The couple broke apart and turned their attention to Priya who sat looking at them with a raised eyebrow. Charity laughed before sticking her tongue out towards the party pooper. Keeping her hand on the blonde’s thigh, she began stroking little patterns up and down the covered flesh. Leaning back over to the blonde she brought her lips to the blonde's ear. “You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to taking advantage of you in that huge bed later…” she whispered.

A slight flush appeared on the smaller blondes cheeks at the teachers words. She revelled in the feel of Charity's warm breath trickling down the back of her neck. Her blue eyes scanned the other table's occupants, feeling grateful that no one seemed to be paying them any attention.

Just as everyone else got comfortable, the large doors that led to the entrance opened. Those that had heard the doors opening turned towards the new guest. A slender woman came further into the room, a grin plastered on her flawless face.

“Ugh…Charity…”

Charity turned her attention from Vanessa to Cain, who was sat opposite her. “What's up?” she asked. When Cain didn't answer, the teacher raised an eyebrow and turned to Bernice who looked just as stunned as Cain. The redhead however nodded her head to the side, indicating for Charity to follow her lead. Looking over her right shoulder, Charity's eyes landed on the figure gliding towards the table. A breath caught in her throat as her brain registered who this woman was. Snapping her head back around, Charity looked down at the table.

Vanessa watched her girlfriend. She'd followed Bernice's nod as Charity had done and watched a woman come towards them. She was a very slim and very pretty woman. She hadn't seen her before but from the looks of it, Charity had.

“Charity?” she asked. “Are you OK?” She looked between her girlfriend and the new presence in the room, who now stood at the far end of the table.

Charity didn't get a chance to reply as the woman began to talk. “Good evening, class of 2010” the woman chimed brightly to the table’s occupants.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Priya cleared her throat and addressed the woman. “Cara…?”

\------


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 1 4

Vanessa shifted her gaze from her girlfriend, to Priya and finally on the woman now known as Cara. She took in the new comer’s appearance before looking around everyone else. She couldn't help but notice the stolen glances the old school friends were making at her girlfriend.

 _Ok, what the hell am I missing?_ she thought.

Clearly something big had just happened but she was yet to be included on the situation. She hated being in the dark. She looked at Charity herself. The teacher still sat with her head down, burning a hole in the table with her intense gaze. Her hand still lay on the reporters thigh but it no longer moved. Infact, she gripped at the thigh like her life depended on it.

Shifting her attention back to Cara, Vanessa realised the woman had started talking once more. “It's so good to see you all again. You guys have hardly changed” she smiled. Her gaze landed on Charity, who it seemed was doing everything she could to avoid Cara's eye.

“Cara” Jai started, getting to his feet and walking to the woman. “You still look as stunning as ever.” He embraced the woman before leaving a lingering kiss on her cheek.

“Oh Jai” she laughed. “Still the charmer I see?” She smoothed out her dress as Jai returned to his seat. Facing the table once again she brought her hands together. “So, I guess I should introduce myself to the rest of you. My name is Cara Robinson. I went to school with your nearest and dearest here and I'm actually the one to thank, or _blame_ …” she laughed, “…for the reunion taking place.”

“Robinson?” Cain enquired. “Weren't you called Stone in school?”

Cara nodded softly. “You're right Cain. Robinson is my married name.”

Cain's forehead creased briefly as his eyes widened. “Oh…”

The doors behind Cara opened as a flurry of waiters appeared with trays of food. As Cara made herself comfortable in her chair, the other table occupants began talking, giving Vanessa the time to turn to her girlfriend. “Hey, what's going on?”

Charity looked up, a sigh escaping her lips. The teacher turned her head, glancing over at Cara. The black woman caught her gaze, nodding her head slightly as she smiled. Charity clenched her jaw again and looked back at her girlfriend. She saw the confusion swimming around in big blue eyes. Smiling slightly, she leaned in, placing a soft kiss on the blonde’s lips. “It's fine 'Ness. I'll tell you later, OK?” Pulling back she flashed a smile before looking over at Cain. He shook his head slightly, giving a shrug of his shoulders.

“I think that mean's he didn't know Miss _fatal attraction_ was going to be here” Bernice whispered over the table. “None of us did..”

Charity sighed again. “Terrific.” The relaxing weekend getaway she'd been looking forward to had just taken a wrong turn into psycho-ville. “Just, terrific.”

\-----

Nearly an hour later, the food had been served and eagerly eaten by the hotel guests. Throughout dinner, Vanessa had tried several times to get enlightened on her girlfriend’s awkward mood. The teacher however had shook her head and told her _“_ _Don't think about it, just enjoy the food. I'll tell you later._ _”_

Needless to say, the reporter inside the blonde was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the discussions around her.

During the meal, Cara had explained to the group that she owned the hotel. It had been left to her after her grandmother passed away several years earlier. She lived there, along with her husband, who was currently away on business for the week.

Vanessa over heard Cain say something to Moira after Cara's statement. “Mrs Robinson used to drink from the furry cup in school, well at least she used to drink from Charity's….” A thud under the table aswell as a sharp intake of breath from Cain caused Vanessa to take a sideways glance at her girlfriend. If looks could kill, Charity would have had Cain hanging from the ceiling by his testicles.

Once the food had been eaten, the group moved from the table, making their way over to the bar.

“Charity…” Cain started as he joined the teacher, Vanessa and Bernice at the far end of the bar. “Look, I had no idea that Cara was in charge of this whole reunion. I'm so sorry!”

Charity glared at her friend, resisting the urge to give him a dead arm. _For_ _now_ at least.

Vanessa looked between the 2 of them. “Ok, is one of you going to tell me what's going on here…?” she asked impatiently.

Breaking her stare on the DJ, Charity lifted her drink to her mouth before turning to the blonde. She looked at her, not knowing how to start. Luckily for her, Bernice broke the silence.

“Bernice is a former girlfriend of Charity's…”

The blonde turned her attention to the redhead. She'd more or less figured that out for herself, but there was something else going on here. Something that unnerved her girlfriend. All throughout dinner Charity had hardly spoken, hardly touched her food and knocked back 3 beers like they were water. She looked back at the teacher. “So, she's your ex? What's the big deal?”

The teacher looked over her shoulder, making sure the object of their discussion was out of earshot. Seeing Cara at the other side of the room with Jai, she turned back to the blonde. “Well…” she started. “Basically…” she took in a deep breath. “She was like…ugh, I didn't….”

The redhead let out a snort, putting a hand on the babbling teachers shoulder. “What she's trying to say is, Cara was a strange girl in school.”

Vanessa looked between Bernice, Cain and finally her girlfriend. “Strange, how?”

Cain cleared his throat. “Have you ever seen the film Fatal Attraction…?” When Vanessa nodded her head, Cain grinned. “It's great, isn’t it. Owww” he finished after receiving a blow to each of his upper arms by Charity and Bernice.

With an amused grin, Bernice picked up where Cain left off. “Basically Vanessa, Charity and Cara started going out. Within a few weeks Cara kind of became obsessed with all things Charity. Like _seriously_ obsessed. She started buying and wearing the same kind of clothes, cutting her hair like Charity's…”

“Everytime I looked over my shoulder, there she was…” Charity began with a shake of her head. “She'd ring me, text me, every hour of everyday.”

“She couldn't go out without Cara being with her…' Bernice continued.

Charity let out an involuntary shiver. “If I went out with these guys and I didn't invite her, she'd go fucking crazy. She'd get jealous, crazy jealous. She'd ask if there was something wrong, had she done something? Then she'd cry and make me feel bad. It was so suffocating.”

“There was one time Charity came bowling with us” Cain added. “She'd told Cara she had a family thing going on. So we were out, having a laugh at the lanes and over walks Cara. Turns out she'd gone over to Charity's and her parents told her where we were.”

Bernice shook her head, remembering the scene Cara had caused. “Man, was she pissed that night.”

Charity looked back at that afternoon too, a grimace playing on her face. “I broke things off with her that night…”

“Longest break up in history” Cain mocked. “I mean, she still tried her luck for weeks afterwards.”

“Tell me about it” Charity said. She looked at the blonde. “You know me 'Ness, I don't like hurting people and she made it so hard for me to end things amicably. In the end I just exploded and told her to leave me the hell alone.”

“I think your actual words were leave me the _fuck_ alone…”

Charity noticeably jumped upon hearing the voice of their host. She spun her head around, locking eyes with her ex girlfriend. Every hair on her body stood on edge, her heart instantly pounding...and not in a good way. She suddenly felt very claustrophobic. Everyone was silent, none of them knowing what to say.

Finally Vanessa broke the silence. She held out her hand to the hotel owner. “Hi, I'm Vanessa Woodfield” she smiled. Cara looked from Charity to the blonde at her side. Showing a half smile she grasped the offered hand.

“Hello Vanessa, I’m Cara Robinson.” She let out a laugh as she let go of the blonde's hand. “But I see you've already heard about me.” The hotel owner looked around at her old school friends until her gaze settled on the teacher, whose gaze was directed at the floor. “Toots…” she started, to which the teachers head snapped up. “It's lovely to see you again” she finished. She leant in and half embraced the rigid teacher.

Charity backed out of the embrace before Cara could get too comfortable in the greeting. “Hi Cara…” she replied. “…and you know it's Charity…' she finished with a tight smile, hating that Cara continued to give her the pet name she’d come up with all those years ago.

Cara let out a flirtatious laugh. “You haven't changed much, Charity Dingle” she said, shaking her head slowly.

“Unlike you it seems…” Bernice interjected.

Cara looked at her and smiled. “Very true. My life's completely changed, and all for the better I might add. I'm the owner of a very well established hotel, I'm married to a wonderful man whom I love, _very much_.”

“So you just went through a phase in school did you?” Cain tried.

“Cain?!” Charity gasped.

Cara looked from Charity to Cain. “No, it's alright, I don't mind. You're right Cain, it _was_ just a phase. Don't get me wrong, when I was with you Charity, I was all in….” An exaggerated cough was emitted from Bernice. Cara raised an eyebrow at the redhead as she continued. “And I mean, you were gorgeous then, as you are now.” Her eyes took in the teachers body as she smiled. “…but I think it was definitely just a phase. I met my husband not long after school and we've been crazy in love ever since.”

Charity looked at Vanessa, then to Cain and then at Cara. She mimicked her smile. “I'm happy to hear that.” She began to relax slightly, feeling a little more comfortable in her ex's company.

“So…” Bernice started, feeling a topic change would make everyone feel more relaxed. “What made you want to host such a lavish reunion?”

“Well, like many, I spend far too much of my time on facebook. I'd been talking to a lot of old friends and well, once I'd mentioned I had the run of this place, everyone seemed really enthusiastic about having a big get together. One thing led to another, a group was set up and a date was set. The response was phenomenal. I was expecting only a handful of people, but there's a couple hundred rsvp'd. I think it's going to be great to see everyone. I didn't really keep in touch with anyone. Not physically anyway. I speak to a few people online from time to time.”

“Charity and I are still as strong as a rock” Cain announced, sending a wink to his best friend.

Cara was in the middle of laughing when Ashley came up to her side. “Sorry to interrupt but your husband is on the phone” he told her.

“Oh, thanks Ash.” She turned to the group. “If you'll excuse me” she told them before following Ashley away.

Four sets of eyes watched her walk away. Vanessa turned and met green eyes. She sent her a smirk. “So, your ex? She's attractive…”

“Don't start” Charity warned before downing the rest of her cocktail. Taking in a breath she looked at Cain. “You and your frickin' bright idea's.”

“What?” Cain shrugged. “She's changed, you're safe. I think blondie here would kick her arse if she tried anything with you anyway.”

Vanessa smiled as she ran a hand up and down the teachers arm. “I'll protect you from Glenn Close’s twin, babe.” She leaned in, brushing her lips against a flushed cheek.

“I see we've missed all the fun…” Rhona said, joining the group.

“Oh, you're gonna love this…” Cain began.

\-------

As the spray beat down on Charity's tired skin, she rubbed her fingers through her soaked hair, rinsing away the remaining conditioner. Why couldn't she have had a fun weekend away with her girlfriend and close friends? Why did her psychotic ex girlfriend have to be added to the mix? No, not just added, _hosting_ the whole damn thing. She felt like she'd been cornered into this whole situation.

It felt easier to blame Cain, but she knew she couldn't. Though he'd practically forced her to agree to this reunion, he hadn't known who was organising it. None of them had.

Her mind drifted back to the 2 month relationship she's shared with Cara.

_Wors_ _t_ _2 months of my life….fact!_

It was Cara that had initiated their relationship. She'd known Charity was gay and had confessed she's been developing feelings for her. They went out on a few dates and things had been going quite well, but then something changed. Charity began to feel overwhelmed at Cara's constant presence. Alarm bells started ringing when she felt she had to get the girls permission to do anything….even sleep. It felt like she no longer had a life of her own and she knew then that the relationship was destined to fail.

Picturing that night she'd told Cara that it was over...what a long night that had been. Cara had cried, she's shouted, thrown a tantrum and even lashed out at Charity. She'd threatened that she'd hurt herself. Charity didn't know what to do. She was young, she'd never experienced anything like this. How was she meant to cope in this type of situation? In the end, after explaining herself for the 50th time, she'd left Cara curled up in bed.

Turning off the shower, the teacher drained off the excess water from her hair. Opening the shower door, she reached for the towel. Patting herself dry she quickly changed and brushed her teeth. Opening the bathroom door, she switched off the light and headed over to the bed and the waiting blonde.

Vanessa had her head propped up by her hand as she lay on her side, facing Charity. She watched as the teacher got under the covers, made herself comfortable on her back before letting out a sigh. Eventually their eyes connected as Charity turned her head.

“Hey…” the taller woman started.

The blonde smiled. “Hey you. How you doing? You haven't said much since we came up.”

Charity nodded slightly. She wished that all this would go away and she could just enjoy herself again, like she had done this afternoon in the woods with her girlfriend. “I'm fine, it's just…..” she trailed off, trying to gather her thoughts. “Why's everything always gotta be so difficult?”

Vanessa laughed slightly. “I know babe. Nothings ever simple with us.”

“I mean seriously….can we not catch a break, just _once_..?”

The blonde watched the teacher through sympathetic eyes. All she wanted was to have a few days where she could let her guard down, relax with her girlfriend and school friends. Though they were miles away from any potential killer related incidents, it seemed ex related incidents we're on the agenda for the weekend. She brought her hand up, placing it on the covers above Charity's stomach. She leant forward, brushing her lips softly against the other woman’s. “Hey, don't let this ruin the weekend” she told her. “I mean, look at this room.” She leant forward again, reconnecting the lips. “Look at this bed…” *kiss* “Look at me..” *kiss* Vanessa slid her hand beneath the covers and up Charity's top until it lay flat against a toned, naked stomach.

“I am looking at you” the teacher replied.

*kiss* “Like what you see?” Vanessa teased.

Charity shifted her gaze between darkening blue eyes and the suggestive smirk. She cleared her increasingly lubricated throat before replying. “More than you could imagine..”

“Mmmm. You know, I seem to remember you saying something about taking advantage….of me….or something...” She flicked her nose over the teachers.

Charity breathed deeply as she lifted a hand to caress the blonde’s cheek. “Let me show you.” 

It wasn’t long before their bodies moved together. A powerful orgasm eventually ripping through their bodies, vibrating over every inch of their skin. They moaned out each other’s name, shouting cries of encouragement as the intense feeling continued to shudder through them. As the moments passed, their movements became slower until eventually, Charity flopped her spent body over her girlfriends.

\-------

A piercing ring startled both the sleeping writer and teacher the next morning. As Charity groaned, covering her head with a pillow, Vanessa lazily reached for the hotel room phone.

Croaking a quiet “Hello,” she listened to the caller before muttering a “thank you.” Putting the phone down again, she flopped back onto the pillows. “Breakfasts being served in 30 minutes” she yawned.

“Ugh…” Charity grunted, keeping her head firmly embedded beneath the pillow. After a few moments she extracted herself, looking through sleepy eyes at the clock on her night stand. “They called us at 8:45 to tell us breakfasts ready soon? That's so wrong.” She looked at the blonde who lay blinking the sleep out of her eyes. “Hey” she grinned.

Vanessa returned the grin. “Hey yourself.” She leant forward, placing a soft, lingering kiss on awaiting lips. Pulling back she settled herself on her side, facing the teacher. “Last night was….” she trailed off, the satisfied grin on her face finishing the statement off for her.

“Mhmmm, it was, wasn’t it?!” Charity replied.

“It's just aswell this bed is super kingsize! I mean, the way we were rolling around, it would have been hard to stay on the mattress at home.”

Charity released a throaty laugh as she leant into the blonde. “Well, we should make the most of it really, shouldn't we?” Her hand trailed up the blonde’s naked side. “So, are you ready for round 2?” Their lips met briefly.

“That depends” Vanessa told her. “Do you think you can handle my mad ninja skills this morning?”

“I handled them just fine last night as I recall, babe.”

“Yea well….that was last night.” She quickly pushed the teacher onto her back before covering the body with her own. “This morning is a different story Charity” she finished, crushing their lips together.

\-------

Around 45 minutes later, showered and dressed, the pair headed down to the dining area for breakfast. Walking into the room they headed over to where the majority of their friends were seated.

“Hey guys” Charity called as they found a couple empty seats.

“Good morning” Cain replied with a grin. His eyes shifted to the other occupants of the table. Along with the radio DJ, Bernice, Liam, Tracy, Lori, Rhona, Sara, Chas and Moira all shared an amused glance, which didn't go unnoticed by Vanessa.

“Ugh, is everything alright?” she asked, suddenly feeling slightly apprehensive.

The table was quiet, all seemingly enjoying their breakfast. Vanessa furrowed her eyebrows as she and Charity looked at one another confused.

“Oh for the love of…” Priya started with a roll of her eyes. “These guys are wondering if the 2 of you got any sleep lastnight? I told them to mind their own business but…”

“We urmmm…..yea we….” Vanessa started.

“We slept well” Charity finished with a smile, looking between everyone. “Why do you ask?”

Moira snorted to their right before quickly covering her mouth, an _oh shit_ expression in her eyes. Suddenly everyone at the table burst out laughing. Charity and Vanessa sat watching their friends enjoy a seemingly inside joke.

“Did we miss something here….or…?” the teacher started.

Getting her laughter under control first, Bernice cleared her throat before replying. “Well, it's just…..last night I went out into the hall to use the ice machine.” She took a sideways glance at Liam, who in turn cleared his throat. “And ermm….while I was standing out there I heard what sounded like…” She looked at the group, hoping for someone to step in and continue the story. When no one offered she sighed. “It sounded like a struggle was going on.” Charity and Vanessa stole a glance at each other. “So I was curious…” Bernice continued, “…and came a little closer to your room. I was about to knock when I heard giggling and…..umm yea…”

“Basically she was listening to you having acrobatic sex last night” Rhona finished.

Vanessa gulped, looking down at her hands as she tried to fight the blush rising in her face.

“I was not” Bernice protested. “As soon as I realised what….what was going on, I ran away.”

While Vanessa continued to dig her chin into her chest, Charity won the battle against her embarrassment, flicking a lock of her hair over her shoulder. “What can I say? Vanessa is a tiny blonde rocket woman.”

The blonde looked up for the first time, biting her bottom lip to stifle a giggle.

“Evidently” Rhona chimed, “Coz when I went by your room half an hour ago you were still at it.”

The table, including Vanessa and Charity burst into a fit of laughter, which only subsided when Ashley came over to take the new arrivals' breakfast order.

“Ok” Charity started. “So now you guys are finished analysing our sex life…”

“Oh on the contrary, I don't think we've heard anywhere near enough….” Cain told her with a wink.

She held up a hand to her friend and turned to the rest of the group. “So, what's the other subject of the day?”

Like Charity really needed to ask. She'd hidden it from Vanessa this morning but she'd secretly been dreading coming down to breakfast. She knew the reappearance of Cara would be the hot topic today, no matter how much she wished it didn't have to be. The knot in her stomach, which had appeared the second her eyes landed on her ex girlfriend the night before, was still wound tightly around her gut. She had an awful feeling Cara had ulterior motives for the convenient offering of the weekend stay in her hotel. I mean, what exactly were the chances of Charity and all of her close school friends winning this so called trip? Cara herself had said there had been at least a couple hundred RSVPs. The odds didn't match at all.

Putting her drink down, Priya shifted in her seat. “Well actually, we we're talking about Cara. We all remember what happened between the 2 of you in school.” She looked around at everyone else before meeting the teacher’s eyes again. “What are your thoughts on her?”

Charity sighed and took a moment to think before replying. “Vanessa and I actually had a little talk about that last night..”

“Is this before, during or after the…”

“Sod off, Cain” Charity said, cutting him off. “Basically there's nothing that can be done about it now. We're here, she's here, and we’re in this gorgeous hotel. There's no point in us wasting our time stewin’ over somethin’ that happened 10 years ago.” She paused looking at the blonde, trying to make herself believe her words aswell. “I say let's just enjoy the rest of the weekend.”

“That sounds good to me…” Priya agreed.

For the next hour they enjoyed a hearty breakfast and planned the day ahead. Most had yet to take advantage of the luxuries available in the hotel, so a nice relaxing morning in the spa was first and foremost on the agenda.

A couple of hours later, the women were sat in the sauna, engrossed in girly chatter while their bodies relaxed in the aromatic heat. The men had been banned from joining them after their time in the pool, telling them girl time was needed.

“ _Jeeze what is this,_ _h_ _igh_ _s_ _chool?_ ” Cain had whined. Never the less, he, Liam and the other men had gone off to watch some sort of sport on the 50’’ plasma screen in the games room.

For the last 20 minutes, the girls had been discussing funny high school stories. The funniest so far had been about the day a 16 year old Charity had come down with chicken pox, while on a school trip. Bernice had told the story, assisted in parts by Priya. The trip had been up in the woods, in some log cabins and within an hour of arriving there, Bernice had noticed the red spots on her friends skin. After showing the spots to their teacher, Charity had been locked up in her own cabin for the entire 5 day trip.

“She was a terrible patient” Bernice told them. “Infact she's the worst I've ever come across….and I work in a busy hospital!”

Priya continued the story. “She begged to be let out of the room, but she couldn't coz she was still contagious. She was told not to scratch, but being the rebel Dingle is, she didn't listen.”

“Yea, so to stop her scratching….” Bernice said, “….our teacher got a few rolls of gauze from the first aid kits and bandaged her hands. It was so funny” she laughed.

Charity pouted theatrically as she watched everyone laugh at her expense. She felt Vanessa's hand rubbing her thigh, just below the end of the towel around her body. She turned to the laughing blonde, her own lips curling into a small smile. “It was child abuse” she told her girlfriend.

“It sounds like it” the blonde replied, swiping away a stray tear from her cheek. “If I'd been there, I'd of come to sit with you. Chicken pox be damned.”

“I'm not finished the story yet though…” Bernice spoke. “We came back from a 5 hour hike in the woods and went over to Charity's cabin to see how she was coping. There was a small window in the door of the cabin that we communicated through. She came sulking over to us….her bandaged hands raised up to the window. Looking at us with puppy dog eye she said “Take off my gauze paws…”

Another round of giggles bounced off the walls of the sauna at Bernice's animated gesture.

“Well, it was the funniest and the _cutest_ thing I think I've ever seen” Bernice continued. “We laughed then as we are now and she got really pissed with us. She started whining and crying and rubbing herself up against the door to try and satisfy her itchy needs.”

“We tried to think of something to take her mind of her predicament” Priya went on. “So Cain told her we'd just been on a 5 hour hike, our bodies were numb with pain so we knew exactly how she felt.” The small doctor stopped, a laugh escaping her lips as she remembered the sight of Charity's face. “She looked at Cain like an animal, eyeing its prey.”

Bernice clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh can I say this line, I love it.”

Priya rolled her eyes, as did Charity. “Go on then.”

“She got close to the window and said “I've got pox in my bum crack, our pain, which she emphasised with her bandaged paws, didn't compare to what she was feeling.” The redhead barely contained her laughter as she finished. “Then she told us to get lost and went sulking back to her bed.”

The rest of the girls laughed along while Vanessa snaked a hand around the teachers shoulders, squeezing her slightly. “You are so cute” she whispered. “I wish I'd been there to see it!”

“How did you escape chicken pox for so long?” Tracy asked. “Ness and me had it when we were in primary school.”

“I actually had it when I was 3” Chas added. “Charity managed to avoid it though, she was a baby so I guess our parents just kept me away from her.”

Their chatter continued until they saw the door of the sauna open. The sight of Cara, covered like the rest of them in only a towel, drained their laughter as quickly as it had come.

“Oh, it's good to see you all having a good time in here” the hotel owner smiled. “Mind if I join you?”

Charity looked at her friends quickly. Seeing no one look as though they were going to reply she looked at Cara and offered a small smile. “No of course not, it is your hotel after all.”

The other woman laughed as she shut the door to the sauna. “True, but I don't want to crash the party.” She walked over to the other side of the room to Charity and Vanessa. Sitting herself down, she offered a small smile to everyone. Vanessa looked at Charity, seeing the teacher rolling the edge of her towel between her fingers.

The atmosphere had suddenly changed from light and humorous to suffocatingly awkward. Charity began to tense her jaw, trying to think of something to break the increasingly uncomfortable silence. Everyone seemed to be stealing glances at each other. Before Charity could blurt something out, Cara cleared her throat.

“I was in the games room just now, I hear that we have some basketball stars among us?”

Charity released a breath she hadn't realised she'd kept in. _Basketball_ , she thought. _A safe, neutral subject they could discuss_. She nodded her head over to her ex. “You heard right. I coach a ladies team at the school I work for.” She looked over to her student. “Moira here is part of that team.” The young woman smiled and nodded her head at Cara. “And Vanessa here is quite the player herself…” Charity finished, looking at her girlfriend with a grin.

Cara smiled at the exchange. “Well, after talking to the guys we thought perhaps a little friendly game on the court outside would be something fun to do this afternoon. What do you think?”

“Ohh yea” Moira said excitedly, looking to the rest. Most of them nodded their heads, agreeing to the game.

“Great” Bernice smiled, getting to her feet. “I'll go make arrangements with Ashley. We can have a light lunch then head out on to court a while after that. See you soon.” With that she opened the door and exited the room.

Seeing the door shut, they all looked at each other. “That wasn't so bad” Vanessa said. “I think you're safe from any advances from her, babe…”

Charity smiled, nodding her head slightly. She preyed to God her girlfriend was right.

Five minutes later, they filtered out of the sauna and made their way into the adjacent changing rooms. They all planned on having a quick shower down there and going straight for a light lunch. Picking up fresh towels, they walked towards the shower cubicles, Charity and Vanessa at the back of the pack. The teacher put her hand on Vanessa’s hip, pulling her closer. “You know….” she whispered, leaning in, “….the last time we were in these kinds of cubicles together, I had the most amazing daydream…”

Vanessa turned her head, giving the teacher a flirtatious grin. “Is that right…” she replied. Stopping at an empty cubicle she grabbed Charity's dry towel and hung it up on a peg along with her own. Turning back to her girlfriend, who had stopped behind her, she reached up on her tip toes and brought her face closer to Charity's. “Well maybe we should make those dreams become a reality.” Slipping her fingers beneath the top of Charity's towel, she began back stepping into the cubicle until…

“No way.”

Popping their heads back out of the cubicle they looked at Priya, who stood, one hand on her hip, the other pointing towards them warningly. “If you 2 go in there together you're gonna be doing stuff and my ears are far too delicate to hear a repeat of what was done last night.”

Tracy, Bernice and Rhona were yet to go in their cubicles and stood behind Priya, mimicking the smaller woman's actions. Vanessa and Charity looked at each other, then back at Priya.

“Priya, we're not kid's for Christ sake…” Charity started. “We can control ourselves….”

“Ahh!” Priya said, halting any further argument Charity was going to give. “I don't want to hear your triumphant shouts of euphoria.” She pointed her finger back and forth between them as she said “No..naked..showering...togetherness.”

“Priya..” Charity started, but she didn't continue. The glare she received made her legs move out of the cubicle as if independent from her body. With a pout she made her way over to the cubicle opposite the blondes. Before thrusting the curtain along she looked back at the smaller blonde, who stood inside her cubicle. Vanessa let her sauna towel fall from her body then brought a hand up to cup a breast. She gazed into the teachers green eyes, a sly grin plastered on her face. Her hand began to slide from her breast down towards her….

Her eyes widened as Priya, both hands on her hips came into view, glaring at her. Feeling a flush begin to creep onto her cheeks, the blonde quickly thrust the curtain along the rail. The sound of Charity's laughter filled her ears. “Busted” she heard the teacher say.

“No private naked dancing showers either, Woodfield.”

Hearing Priya’s statement made the other girls join in with Charity's laughter. Bringing her hands to her face, Vanessa shook her head.

 _Great, just great_ she thought.

“Sorry Priya” she mumbled through her fingers.

“Vanessa!” she heard Tracy shout. “You devious little animal.”

Turning to the far wall she started the spray, drowning out the laughter. A minute or so later Charity began to sing at the top of her lungs. It wasn't long before the rest of the girls joined in.

_I love myself I want you to love me_

_When I feel down I want you above me_

_I search myself I want you to find me_

_I forget myself I want you to remind me_

_I don't want anybody else_

_When I think about you I touch myself_

_Ooh I don't want anybody else Oh no, oh no, oh no_

Vanessa shook her head, a smile dancing on her lips. After the little statement Charity had given her before the shower, she suddenly started to wonder what exactly the teacher was doing inside her cubicle right now. Well, apart from singing.

_You're the one who makes me come running_

_You're the sun who makes me shine_

_When you're around I'm always laughing_

_I want to make you mine_

Vanessa ran her fingers through her hair, washing the stray bits of conditioner from her wet locks. She held her face under the spray, enjoying the massaging feeling the beating water gave her. As she rubbed the water from her eyes with both hands, she suddenly felt a hand clasp around her mouth and another snake onto her stomach. The hand at her mouth muffled any squeal that had threatened to escape. She felt a wet body mould into her back, heard a faint throaty giggle at her right ear followed by warm breath, washing over her neck. A burst of excitement erupted in her lower stomach.

“Shhh, we have to be quiet or Ms Trunchball will catch on” Charity whispered, trailing her left hand from the blonde’s mouth to a full breast. The singing outside of the cubicle continued.

_I close my eyes and see you before me_

_Think I would die if you were to ignore me_

_A fool could see just how much I adore you_

_I get down on my knees I'd do anything for you_

Vanessa turned her head and glared at the other woman. “She saw me naked” she whispered. “...and….touching myself.” She continued to glare playfully at the amused teacher until Charity's right hand trailed down between her legs. “Charity” she half protested yet half moaned, her own hand moving to lay on top of the teachers.

_I love myself, I want you to love me_

_When I'm feelin' down, I want you above me_

_I search myself, I want you to find me_

_I forget myself, I want you to remind me_

“Shhh” Charity whispered. “They're still singin’, they won't hear a thing.” She leaned in, capturing the blondes lips as a finger sank between moist folds. The teacher caught the deep moan that escaped the smaller blonde’s mouth with her own. She worked her fingers at a fast pace, rubbing against the bundle of nerves with every stroke. She rolled her hips into the blonde’s behind. Her free hand fondled each breast in turn, pulling the smaller woman's body further into her own. Pulling out of the kiss she moved her lips to the blonde’s ear.

“In my dream…” Charity whispered, “…it was you that came into my cubicle.” She continued to work her fingers hard. “You came in, threw me up against the wall and fucked me without mercy, babe.”

_I don't want anybody else_

_When I think about you, I touch myself_

_I don't want anybody else_

_Oh no, oh no, oh no_

Vanessa's chest was heaving. A mixture of the teachers antics, the hot spray and the difficult task of keeping her moans as silent as possible was making her feel light headed. She moved a hand to the wall in front, steadying herself as Charity continued to bring her to the brink of release. She felt a tongue sliding over her shoulder, teeth pulling at the skin on her neck. She bit her bottom lip, fighting the urge to scream out.

“Oi, Charity, why have you stopped singin’?” Came Chas's voice, causing the teachers ministrations to freeze.

A throaty groan escaped the reporter’s lips, missing the loss of sensation. She looked sideways at the teacher, who stood racking her brain to come up with an excuse. “Ugh, what….sorry, I was just washing my face.”

“This was always your favourite part” Bernice shouted before continuing on with the song.

Charity continued to look at the blonde, her busted expression turned into a sly smile before her fingers started their dance between the blonde’s legs once more. As Vanessa gasped, Charity's voice broke out into song.

_I want you, I don't want anybody else_

_And when I think about you, I touch myself_

_Ooh, oooh, oooooh, aaaaaah_

Slender fingers pushed hard between soft walls. Vanessa slapped her other hand onto the wall, steadying herself as she thrust herself onto Charity's hand. The teachers angelic voice, vibrated through her body. She was so close. Her legs began to tense. She threw her right arm back, threading her fingers through Charity’s wet hair. Turning her head she buried her face into the other woman’s neck. She could hear the smile in Charity's voice.

_I, I, I, I, I don't want anybody else_

_When I think about you, I touch myself_

_Oh I don't want anybody else_

_When I think about you, I touch myself_

Charity could feel the blondes release was imminent. “Big finish girls” she shouted. As everyone else raised their voices for the big finale, Charity dipped her head, her mouth touching the blonde’s ear. “Let go babe, come for me…” She rubbed her fingers slower but hard against the stimulated clit. As Vanessa's body tensed, Charity gripped her hand over the blonde’s mouth again, stopping her from crying out. She sang louder, drowning out the moans of satisfaction that echoed in the blonde’s throat.

Vanessa's body shuddered as her release continued to claim her body. She slumped forward, completely depleted. Luckily Charity held on to her, shuffling her closer to the wall.

The singing came to an end - the other girls congratulating themselves on an almost perfect rendition of the Divinyls song. Back in Vanessa's cubicle, the blonde had turned around, her chest heaving and face flushed. Charity grinned down at her, leaning in to trail kisses over the rosy face before her. “I better go before we get caught” she winked. Capturing the blondes wet, parted lips a final time, she removed herself from the embrace and peeked outside of the curtain. Seeing the coast was clear she quickly padded over to her own cubicle.

Vanessa let out a little snort at the sight of her girlfriends naked bum swaying as she ran away. Letting out a content sigh, she picked up her soap and began washing herself for a 2nd time.

“Ness, you're very quiet in there” came Charity's voice.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. Here was the part where Charity tried to embarrass her.

“She's probably touching herself….” Rhona shouted.

“Ewww” Tracy complained. “Here man, that's my sister you're talkin’ about.”

“Relax” Vanessa sighed, “I'm not doing that. Besides, Charity does that more than enough for me, thanks.”

Tracy grumbled. “Again _gross_ , can we change the subject?”

“It's always the quiet one's” Rhona alleged. “I remember the shy copy editor who would never discuss such intimate things. Then she meet's Charity and boom…the sex beast within is released.”

“Alright, that's the shower definitely finished” Priya said, cutting off her water.

The rest followed suit apart from Charity, who was still in the middle of washing her hair. Lagging behind, Vanessa popped her head through the curtain and raised an eyebrow. “Slow coach” she teased.

Massaging the foamy shampoo into her hair, Charity grinned. “Yea well, I was a little preoccupied before.”

Vanessa grinned. “I'll meet you upstairs.”

“I'll be right behind you.” As Charity turned back towards the spray, the smaller blonde’s fingers nipped at her bum, causing her to jump slightly and laugh.

A toothy grin remained on the teachers face as she continued to rinse her hair. She was starting to feel like she had during the first 4 months of her relationship with the reporter. It was all sex, laughing, exploring and enjoying life together. Just like any new relationship should be. Then all the murders started happening and the good times had been few and far between.

This break though, away from all the worry, from the constant threat of someone watching them, it made her feel content. Part of her wanted to stay away - not necessarily at the hotel because, hello, psycho ex girlfriend alert - but just away from all the fuss. Until the killer was caught, there was no way any of them could get any semblance of a happy ending.

Finally washed, Charity cut off the spray. She snaked a hand out of the curtain and reached for her towel. Realising it wasn't hanging on her peg it dawned on her that Vanessa had hung it outside her own cubicle. Sliding the curtain along, she stepped out of her shower. Walking to the cubicle opposite she reached for her towel.

“Oh…”

Charity's body tensed. Turning her head her eyes met with Cara, standing in the doorway of the shower room. Making a dash for her towel, the teacher hastily covered up. She distracted herself in tightening the knot as she felt a flush spread across her face.

“Charity, I'm sorry.”

Taking in a steadying breath, Charity looked up. She nodded weakly. “It's cool….” she started, though her mind was screaming that this situation was anything _but_ cool.

Cara continued to look at her with an expression of amusement and….was that, lust? Charity noticeably shook her head, ridding herself of stupid thoughts. “I, ugh….should get going…” she mumbled, though her leg's didn't move.

Cara continued to look at her, the corner of her mouth lifting into a half smile. “Yea, I was just coming to tell you everything has been organised.”

The teacher noticed the other woman’s eyes trailing down her body. She was sure she could see her nostrils flare.

 _This is ridiculous…..move…..now_ she thought.

Finally getting her legs to work, Charity moved towards the door….and Cara. “That's good” she said. “We'll see you in a bit then.” As she reached the door, Cara turned slightly, allowing just enough room for Charity to move passed. The teacher heard a deep intake of breath.

_Did she just smell me?_

Not wanting to hang around and find out, she continued her walk to the lockers to retrieve her bag. No way was she going to hang around here and change in front of this woman. Turning to the door she came to a halt. Cara was now standing at the exit. She smiled back at the teacher.

“I'm glad you came Charity. I….” she paused, unsure of whether to continue. “I missed you” she confessed. With that she turned and opened the door. Before the door closed behind her she looked over her shoulder. “Oh and Charity…..I almost forgot how beautiful you are…” She let the door close, leaving Charity to stare at the door with her jaw almost hitting the floor.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Charity had made it back to her room, she'd attempted to act as though everything was fine, but Vanessa caught on pretty quickly. After admitting defeat, the teacher confessed all to the blonde. The reporter had initially saw red, hearing the hotel owner had been in the shower room, eyeing up her naked girlfriend, but as Charity had continued on with the story in her own expressive and babbling way, Vanessa couldn't help but be slightly amused at the situation.

Sure she was pissed. Cara had gotten an eye full of _her_ girlfriend’s nakedness. Who the hell did she think she was to run her eyes so freely over someone else's girlfriend? That said, Vanessa knew there was no reason for her to worry. Charity, in her irritated and flustered tirade about what happened was making it perfectly clear to her that there was no reason to feel jealous. She had no qualms about putting Cara in her place should anything like that happen again though.

Once they were both dressed in workout gear they headed down to the dining hall.

It was over an hour later that everyone headed out to the basketball court. Cara was stood talking to Ashley on centre court. Seeing the group approaching she smiled and walked toward them. She glanced at Charity who walked slowly, hand in hand with her girlfriend. She wondered whether the teacher had indulged the other woman in what happened not 2 hours ago. Vanessa wasn't running over ready to start a lecture so maybe she hadn't.

A thought ran through her mind. Could it be possible that Charity felt she had something to hide? Had she felt a spark for her old high school love? She took in a breath, pushing her feelings to the back of her mind. Charity was with Vanessa now and from the looks of it, they were crazy in love. Or was it just a display? She contemplated her views. Well, there'd be nothing wrong in a bit of fun. _Right?_

“Hey guys” she called. “Ready to play some ball?”

“Sure” Priya replied. “I'm ready to kick some ass.”

Bernice snorted. “Are you sure you can lift you leg that high?”

The smaller woman made a tut sound. “Hey red, I've got some moves you've never seen.”

“Sure you have. I call blocking Priya” Bernice stated, putting a hand in the air.

Cara laughed. “Well on that note, we should pick teams. I thought perhaps myself and Charity could be team captains.” She looked at the teacher, who's eye's were slightly wider than the last time she'd looked at her. “I mean, you are a coach of your own team anyway, aren't you?”

Yet again, Charity's heart began to race. Cara wanted her to be a captain too. They were gonna be against each other. That was good right? Yea, they'd be on different teams, but that would mean they'd be blocking each other. There'd be no escaping any unwanted _accidental_ touches. No, Cara wouldn't try that. Not in front of everyone, especially not in front of Vanessa. Cara was married now….to a _man_. All Charity was to her, was an ex. But then what was all that about in the showers earlier?

“Charity, you OK?”

Charity's train of thought ended as Vanessa squeezed her hand. “Ugh, yea, I'm good.” She noticed everyone either looking at her curiously, or attempting to hide their amusement. “Umm, sure, I'll be a captain.” She squeezed Vanessa's hand before releasing it and moving to stand, _semi_ close to her ex.

“Ok, great! Well, I guess we should start to pick our teams” Cara said. “You can go first, Toots…”

Scowling inwardly at the sound of Cara nicknaming her again, Charity looked over to her girlfriend. “Vanessa…” she smiled.

With a satisfied grin, Vanessa rolled from the heel of her foot to the toe, bouncing slightly on the spot before making her way over to the teacher.

“Wow Charity, you surprise me, _really_ …” Cain mocked.

“Sod off, Cain! She's the best player here.”

“What, even better than you?” Bernice asked, already familiar with Charity's competitive nature.

Stopping at the teachers side, Vanessa looked at her girlfriend questionably. “Yea Charity, better than you?”

Charity looked at her as though contemplating her answer. “Well, I'd say it was a pretty tight call to make. We're both pretty cushty…”

Vanessa grinned. “I agree. Separately we're both great, but together we're unstoppable. Team awesome!”

They grinned at one another, forgetting where they were until the sound of fake puking noises reached their ears. “Seriously you 2...get a room.” Bernice joked.

“We have one…” Vanessa started, “…but you seem to seek us out even when we use it.”

Charity snorted with laughter at her girlfriend’s quick response while the other's clapped at her reply. Everyone bar Bernice that is, who it seemed was trying her best to hide a blush.

“Umm, I hate to break this up” Cara started, covering up the internal thread of jealously that ran through her body almost perfectly. She smiled tightly looking toward the group. “I will go with….Cain!”

The radio DJ puffed out his chest and made his way over to Cara. “We got this Robinson.” He looked at Charity. “Dingle, you're going down.”

“That's what Vanessa said to her last night…” Rhona mocked casually, sprouting a few giggles.

A couple of minutes later, the teams were picked and each stood on their own side of the court. Joining Charity's team was Bernice, Moira and Tracy, while Liam, Priya and Rhona joined Cara. Chas, Lori, Jai, John and Eli opted to sit at the sidelines and referee the game.

Charity pulled everyone in for a quick team talk. “Right, I realise that team have more strength, what with them having 2 guys, but strength isn't everything. We've got speed, agility and more importantly, experience on our side. Bernice, I know you're out of practice but….”

“Excuse me” the redhead interrupted. “It may shock you to know that I have played basketball since our out of school events. The hospital staff play every once in a while. Promotes team work, or so our boss tells us.” 

“Well then, I'd say that's another advantage to us.”

“We got this Charity” Tracy winked. “With you and Vanessa on the team, all that competitiveness floating around in your bodies…..there's no way we're gona lose.”

They all nodded their agreement. “You're right Trace” Charity replied. “Now let's get out there and do this thing!” She put her hand in the middle of them to which Vanessa, Moira and Tracy complied. Bernice looked at them amused before putting her hand on top of Tracy's. She watched as their hands flew in the air and the other women shouted “hoooooooorahhh!”

“You guys are crazy” Bernice laughed.

Charity smiled at her before looking at Vanessa. The blonde was flashing her irresistible grin as she looked lovingly back at the teacher. “What's that smile for” Charity asked.

Vanessa shook her head slightly. “Nothing, I just….kinda miss doing that.”

The teacher stepped in front of the blonde, wrapping her arms around a slender waist. “I miss doin’ it with you too…” 

The blonde raised an eyebrow, to which Charity laughed, thrusting her hips lightly into the blonde. “Naughty.” She leant in, brushing their lips together.

“Hey guy's, think you can stop the love-fest long enough to shoot some hoops?” Cain shouted.

The basketball bounced towards Charity, hitting her square between the shoulder blades. The teacher turned and saw Priya standing, one hand on her hip giving them a glare. “You guys” she said, pointing a finger, “…are worse than love sick teenagers.” She began to turn, a hand still on her hip. “Mhmm” she said, walking away.

Releasing her hold on the blonde, Charity picked up the stray ball and made her way over to centre court. She threw the ball to Chas, who stood waiting with Cara.

Stopping in front of the hotel owner, Charity met her gaze for a second before looking at her sister. She knew this was just a friendly game. An entertaining way to spend the afternoon bonding with old friends, but it wasn't just old school friends in the picture. No, her ex, the girlfriend that made her life a living hell as a teenager was on the scene again. After the longest break up in history, Cara had cunningly clawed her way back into Charity's life.

So now Charity felt she had a point to prove. What she could possibly prove over a game of basketball, she wasn't quite sure….but all the same. She wanted to feel that overwhelming feeling of victory. The satisfaction of proving she was better. Yes, Charity wanted to win.

“Right ladies” Chas started. “Let's have a clean game, yea?”

“I hope that just because Charity's your sister, you're not gonna give her any special treatment….?”

Chas laughed, looking to Cara. “Oh don't worry, I always take great pleasure out of seeing my sister lose.”

Charity cocked her head. “Thanks, Chas!”

Smirking, Chas held the ball out, placing it between her sister and the hotel owner. “Jai” she shouted. “Can you whistle?”

“As good as any sports fan” he shouted back.

Turning back to the girls she nodded. “Right, let's get this started then.” She lowered her hand slightly before thrusting it skywards, releasing the ball. A high pitched whistle came from the left, signalling the start of the game. Charity bent her knees before propelling herself up towards the now descending ball. Cara did the same but the teacher grasped the ball first. Landing on her feet Charity turned, offloading the ball to Bernice. Cain was on her like a rash, blocking her from moving forward. She turned herself, putting her back to him.

“Bernice?!” Vanessa shouted. The redhead threw the ball, the blonde making an easy catch before bouncing it down court.

“Get on her Priya” Cain shouted.

The smaller woman had her legs spread, with her knees bent, her hands stretched out wide. “Come on McFrisky, try get passed this.”

Vanessa grinned at the smaller woman before quickly bouncing the ball between Priya’s legs and dodging her own body around her. She re-grasped the ball, leaving a stunned Priya still in the same position. She continued her journey hoop bound until Liam stepped in her way. She was quick to react though, throwing the ball to her side…right into Charity's hands. The teacher bounced the ball twice then jumped off her feet. The ball left her hand, hitting the board and dropping in the netting.

She landed with a grin. “And that's how it's done.”

Vanessa came toward her, lifting her hand for a high five. “Good jump…”

“Good layoff” she winked.

They all got into the flow of the game which stayed pretty tight at the beginning. Charity had the ball, she moved up court until Cara stepped in front of her. Her ex grinned and then Charity noticed the other woman’s brown eye's trail down to her partially exposed cleavage. She swore she could see her eye's darken. Then what happened next totally stunned her. Cara's tongue poked out, licking along her top lip as she continued to look between Charity's eyes and her cleavage. Had she really just witnessed that?

One person who had definitely witnessed that was the reporter, who stood just behind and to the right of Charity. The gesture had set off alarm bells for the blonde.

_Is she seriously checking_ _Charity_ _out? Surely_ _Charity_ _can see what she's doing…..so why isn't she moving?_

The alarm bells grew louder and without realising it she shouted her girlfriend’s name. Seeing Charity noticeably shake herself out of wherever her mind had taken her, Vanessa held out her hands, gesturing for the ball to be passed.

Her concentration lapsing briefly gave Cara the opportunity to knock the ball out of the teachers grasp. Charity looked away from the blonde, turning to watch her ex run away, bouncing the wall. She frowned before looking back at her girlfriend.

Vanessa stood looking at her with an eyebrow raised. “Fancy keeping your head in the game, Charity?” she asked, with just a pinch of malice.

“Vanessa..” Charity started but she stopped, hearing shouts of delight from the other end of the court. Looking around she watched Cara get congratulated by Liam and Cain.

“That's 18-15 to us, suckers” Cain shouted.

There was nothing that Charity hated more than being mocked when she was losing. She gritted her teeth but forced a smile. “Early days Dawson, early days.”

Within seconds the ball was back in play. Tracy had it, she bounced it several times before offloading to Moira. The teenager raced towards the net, dodging advances from Priya and Rhona with ease. Making it to the D, she was suddenly blocked by a tall figure. “Hey baby” Cain grinned. He towered over her, his arms consuming her body. She heard Tracy shout her name to the left. She tossed the ball out of her hands but it was effortlessly blocked by Cain’s long arms.

The DJ began his counter attack, the team once again moving down the other side of the court. He passed on to Cara who continued the run. She haltered her advance however as Charity ran in front of her. “Think you've got what it takes to stop me Dingle?” Cara whispered.

“I think so…” Charity replied simply. She outstretched her arms, making it harder for the other woman to slip passed.

“You want it, come get it” Cara replied, looking profoundly into Charity's eyes.

Quickly moving her line of sight down to the ball, Charity told herself to not get distracted.

_She's playing you. Trying to get in your head! Ignore it!_

She threw her hand forward, connecting with the bouncing ball before following in its direction. She ran off, bouncing the ball with fresh determination. Suddenly Cara was in front of her again.

_For the love of….are we the only 2 playing here or something?_

She turned her body, shielding the ball from her pesky ex. Within seconds she felt a body pressed into her back. Breasts digging into her shoulder blades. A groin rubbing against her arse and arms brushing over her own as Cara reached around her. The ball continued to bounce just outside of Cara's reach. Charity could hear her heart throbbing in her ears. She released a ragged breath as she fought to ignore her ex consuming her body. Suddenly she felt warm breath on her neck. “You're amazing Charity…” Cara whispered in her ear. “You play with such determination. You always have…”

Charity needed to move….like, right _now_! It felt like they'd been standing there forever when in reality it had been mere seconds.

Those few seconds had been more than enough for Vanessa though. She'd been running down the other end of the court until she glanced back and saw Cara blocking Charity… _again_! She stopped and watched as Charity turned her back on the other woman, who within seconds brushed herself up against Charity's behind. Cara was wrapping herself around Charity in a way that made the blondes blood boil. Her face was almost buried in Charity's neck. And what the hell was Charity doing? She just stood there, bouncing the ball, with no attempt of moving from her current position.

It reminded her of _her_ first private game of basketball with Charity, while she was still undercover. The one on one match they’d had. The subtle touches they'd shared. She felt her mood darken as the green eyed monster engulfed her body. She began walking toward the pair, her jaw set as she fought to keep herself calm. She hadn't noticed other eye's looking between her and the two women. No, the only thing in her line of sight was this persistent ex, thrusting herself upon _her_ girlfriend. As she came closer, she saw Cara bring a hand to rest on Charity's hip. Her steps faltered briefly as a new wave of anger washed through her body.

Tracy saw the impending rage within her sister’s eyes and knew she had to do something before Vanessa could reach the oblivious women. “Hey, Charity” she shouted.

Reacting instantly, Charity looked up, seeing Tracy asking for the ball. She dragged herself out of the frozen state she'd gotten herself into and threw the ball to her girlfriends sister. She stepped out of her ex's almost embrace and walked away, not daring to look at her face. She did however, look at Vanessa. The fixed stare she found made her mouth drop slightly. She felt her heart stop. _Never_ , had she seen the blonde look so….. _infuriated_! Even that day she stormed out of the house…..nothing compared to the mixture of emotions that covered the blonde's face in this moment.

_Can you blame her?_ _Cara_ _practically dry humped my backside and all I did was stand there. That couldn't possibly of looked good!_

She gulped and began shuffling toward her girlfriend. She only made it a few steps before Tracy reached the smaller blonde first, putting an arm around her shoulder and almost yanking her away. Charity stopped and watched the hairdresser almost drag Vanessa away.

“Hey, I know that looked bad…” Tracy told the blonde, “…but it was nothing. You know that. Cara is just wanting to mess with you both. She's psyching you out.”

Vanessa was only half listening. All her mind could see was Cara rubbing herself into Charity, a hand on her hip, pulling her closer as their hips moved in perfect synchronicity.

_Or was that just in my mind? Who cares, she needs taking down!_

Turning to her sister she looked at her sternly. “I'm fine Tracy, let's just get on with the game.” With that she moved towards centre court. She didn't look at Charity, who it seemed was still shuffling her feet near the same spot she'd been in 20 seconds earlier.

The game continued and although the previous performance went more or less unnoticed by the majority of the players, Vanessa, Charity and Tracy played the game with more vigilance.

The reporter was on a mission, and lucky for her, an opportunity presented itself a few minutes later. Since the almost dry-humping escapade, Vanessa had shifted her position to cover Cara more. Liam was running down the court with the ball. He made a dummy pass to Priya before thrusting it towards Cara. The hotel owner caught the ball, turned on her heel before tripping over a stray leg, tumbling face first to the ground. Having the ball still firmly in her grasp, she landed hard on her left elbow and knee. She gasped as her skin grazed along the court.

Regaining control over her fallen body she looked back up at the cause of her demise. Vanessa stood over her. She was sure she saw a satisfied smirk cross her lips, but as the others ran over, the smile changed to a frown.

“Ooops, careful clumsy.” Vanessa chimed with a slight laugh.

“You OK, Robinson?” Priya asked, her eye's automatically scanning her body for signs of an injury.

Swallowing the urge to lunge forward and slap Vanessa in the face, Cara let out a laugh, lifting herself up off the ground. “Ofcourse, I'm fine, thank you Priya” she smiled. “Just got tangled up with Woodfield here.” She looked at the blonde, whose eyes danced with amusement and satisfaction.

A few meters away, Charity stood watching the _accident_. She hadn't seen how her ex had fallen but she was pretty sure that it had been no case of accidental entanglement. This was bad. Like, _really_ bad! She'd never witnessed this side of Vanessa. It was almost like she was…..jealous?

_That's crazy, she knows there's nothing between_ _Cara_ _and_ _me_ _, at least not on my part_ _._

Cain came up beside her. “Wow, Dingle. Two ladies fighting over you. You have to admit it's kinda ho…”

“Shut up Cain. This isn't funny.” He held up his hands and walked away.

Cara smoothed her top back into place, the ball still under her arm. “Heads up Liam” she shouted, throwing the ball to the doctor. “I'm just gonna take a breather at the sidelines for a minute” she smiled. “You guys alright playing one down?”

“Sure, we got this” Priya nodded. “Eli” she shouted, “Get your skinny behind out here and fill in for Robinson.”

As Cara walked away, Vanessa jogged up alongside her. Putting a hand on the smalls of the other woman’s back she smiled. “I'm gonna say this once” she whispered. “So listen and listen good. I don't know what game you're trying to play here but I don't appreciate it. Not one little bit. So do yourself a favour and keep your hands off of my girl, or next time it'll be more than just a trip. Got it?” The blonde kept her smile on her face as Cara glared back. She could see the seriousness in Vanessa's striking blue eyes.

“I don't know what you mean…” Cara tried.

Vanessa's smile faltered slightly. She leaned in, moving her hand to Cara's shoulder. “Please, don't patronize me. For your own sake, back the hell off.” She tightened her grip on the hotel owners shoulder slightly, emphasizing her point. Not waiting for a comeback the blonde smiled, patted Cara on the shoulder and walked back to the game.

“Ness…”

Turning, the blonde's eye's met with Charity's. The teacher looked a little anxious. Moving toward her girlfriend she stopped just in front of her. “You and me are gonna have some words this afternoon Charity…”

Charity stood, her mouth opening and closing, but she didn't speak. Instead she nodded weakly and watched the blonde walk away.

\-------


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Combined a couple of chapters into one here. Things start to get a little crazy. Thanks for reading :)

Chapter 15

The rest of the game passed without incident. Cara hadn't come back on, stating that she needed to start getting things organised for the reunion that night. She'd headed back into the hotel not long after her run in with Vanessa.

The game finished, Cara's team coming out victorious. After the events throughout the game, both Charity and Vanessa's mind's were no longer thinking about basketball. Cain had caught onto the teachers lack of effort throughout, but she'd simply answered him that she wasn't feeling too good, which in all honesty wasn't far from the truth. Since Vanessa had last spoken to her, she'd felt sick with nerves. The blonde had hardly looked at her for the rest of the game.

Walking to the hotel, everyone made their way to their rooms. Most were laughing, joking and basically still enjoying themselves. Vanessa and Charity however, walked in complete silence, only plastering a fake smile on their lips as someone made a joke. As each peeled off to their own room, Tracy gave a sympathetic smile to Charity, who looked back at her, almost pleading for a sign of what was to happen when she was alone with the smaller blonde.

Reaching their room, Vanessa slotted the key card into the reader and opened the door. Charity stood outside for a few extra moments, steadying her erratic heartbeats. She pushed at the door before it fell shut. Making her way into the room her eyes scanned the area for the smaller blonde. She wasn't there. Coming further in, she realised the bathroom door was shut. A sigh escaped her lips. The impending argument was being dragged out to the max. She didn't know how much more of this suspense she could take.

Walking over to the window she lay her forehead on the cool glass. This trip was turning into a nightmare. Yesterday, when they first arrived it felt like this was going to be the perfect remedy to all their problems back home. The hotel was amazing, her oldest and closest friends were here and this reunion sounded like a blast. And then Cara had appeared. A woman that single headedly had ripped all that contentment out of her grasp. Just like that…

In truthfulness, she hadn't thought about Cara at all since she was a teenager. Even when she'd heard about this reunion, Cara had never once entered her mind. The relationship she'd shared with the other woman she had chosen to erase from her mind. It wasn't a relationship she wanted or _needed_ to re-live. I mean, sure there had been good times, at the start of the relationship that was. There was no questioning Cara's looks. She definitely hadn't fallen far from the tree. She'd only grown more attractive with age aswell.

At the start of the relationship, Charity had actually felt herself falling hard for the girl. She was sweet, generous, her friends liked her, even her family liked her. Being close to her parents had always been important to Charity.

The sex had been…..well, admittedly it had been a first time, for the both of them. It was new, a learning process for them both. It hadn't been a bad encounter, by any means. But it didn't even compare to what she had with Vanessa. Not even slightly.

Her thoughts stopped as she heard a toilet flush and the bathroom door open. Lifting her head off the glass Charity turned and looked at her girlfriend.

Vanessa's eye's glanced briefly at Charity's figure by the window but avoided eye contact. Making her way over to the bed she climbed onto the mattress, crossing her legs in front of her.

Charity watched her with trepidation. She hated the silence that still surrounded them. Turning her body she made her way over to the bed aswell. Bringing a hand up she rubbed Vanessa's upper arm. “Babe…” she tried. Vanessa didn't respond. She could see the internal struggle going on behind blue eyes. The temperature in the room was growing warmer. Or was it just Charity's over working heart making her feel that way? “Ness” she breathed.

The blonde locked eye's with the teacher for the first time in nearly an hour. Charity could see a mixture of anger, jealousy and hurt swimming around blue orbs. She wanted to reach in and embrace her girlfriend. She hated being the cause of her pain. Even though in her mind, she had done nothing wrong. Technically…

“I…..I don't know what I want to say to you…” Vanessa began.

Charity kept quiet, deciding to let the blonde have her say, no matter what it was.

So many thoughts and images ran through Vanessa's mind. The image of Cara rubbing herself up against Charity's back had morphed into an image of the two women rolling around a bed, naked, touching, kissing. It made her feel sick. She was angry. She wanted to shout…..to throw something. But she didn't. She just sat there…..doing everything she could to erase the knowledge of something that happened years ago. That was the thing. Charity _had_ slept with Cara. From what her and Charity had had talked about, she'd figured Cara had been her first.

What's that they say? You never forget your first? Well…she had. After being with Charity, she couldn't even remember the feelings she'd had for her first encounter with a woman. The feelings just didn't compare. But that was her and in all fairness she hadn't been in contact with the girl since the day they broke up. Here Charity was though…..meeting her ex, her _first_ , 10 years after their break up. Sure there'd been an extremely good reason for the break up. Like…..a _seriously_ good reason. But that was then. We're those reason's still reasons she wondered? Years had passed. They'd grown up, lived life, moved on. But what about their feelings? Could there be a small possibility that they could be rekindled? Should she be concerned?

Cara was married, to a man. She was attractive, oozed confidence and was obviously comfortable in her funding. She had the perfect life. It was obvious that the crazy ex she'd been hearing about had grown up.

If that was so then, what was all this crap she'd been doing since coming back into contact with Charity? Accidentally finding Charity naked in the shower room, telling her she was beautiful, blatantly checking her out at every opportunity and then there was the most recent advance. To Vanessa, it seemed like that phase Cara had quickly shunned, may not have been just a phase.

Then there was this trip. Had it all been one big set up? Was this some sneaky plan to suck Charity into her world? It seemed to all make sense now. Luck had nothing to do with all of Charity and her friends being chosen for a free stay in a 5 star hotel. No way. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was some conniving ploy to win Charity back.

_Charity_

She looked up at concerned green eyes. What was going on inside Charity's heart? Was it possible that the teacher was feeling something for her ex? A feeling of dread seeped into her body, making her heart ache. She swallowed a lump in her throat, looking down at her hands. She'd never experienced this kind of feeling before. Admittedly she'd never been in a long term relationship before. This whole jealously thing was new to her. There seemed to be no reasoning with it.

Sure there had been a time before her and Charity had gotten together…..when Rhona had made a pass at the teacher. She'd felt her heart break at the mere thought of the woman of her dreams being with someone else, and that was before they'd even started a relationship. Before she had been able to call Charity her own. This feeling though, was exceptionally different. Her heart now resided in Charity's hands. The thought of Charity even entertaining the idea of feeling anything for her ex was making her numb with jealousy.

 _God, you get all this from seeing a 15 second rubbing of bodies on a basketball court_ the rational side of her brain told her.

“Umm, 'Ness, you've been quiet for a while now. You're kinda freakin’ me out.”

The blonde inhaled a deep breath, letting the air circle her lungs before she released it. “Charity” she started. “I need to say some things and I need you to really listen to me, OK?”

Looking through sympathetic eyes, Charity nodded. “OK.”

“I'm mad at you. And I know nothing really happened, at the back of my mind I _do_ know that. But still, what happened out on that court today was pushing the boundaries between a competitive nudge and a full on grope.” She turned to look at the teacher. “She's your ex Charity…. _your ex_. She practically rode you like a horse out there and you just stood there and let it happen.” Charity's mouth dropped open as the blonde looked down at the mattress. “You just let it happen…” she whispered.

“Vanessa, I don't know what you _think_ you saw out there but that's stretching the truth to….”

“Is it?” the blonde spat back, swiftly turning her head back to the teacher. “It's beyond obvious that she still has feelings for you. The problem I'm having is deciphering whether the feelings are mutual…” She looked back down at the bed.

Charity frowned back at her, shaking her head slightly. “Vanessa, look at me.” She waited for the blonde to meet her eyes. “Babe, you cant seriously think that I have any sort of feelings for her? I mean, did you not listen to what happened when….”

“That was 10 years ago, Charity” the blonde shot back. “10 years! A lot can change in that time.”

“Yea, sure they can, but what difference does that make? Vanessa I couldn't be anymore uninterested in her if I tried.”

“So why did you just stand there and let her grind herself into you? If Tracy hadn't shouted your name, how long would you have let it go on?”

Charity moved her mouth but no words came out. She looked down at her hands, trying to explain to herself why she'd let it go on so long before trying to justify herself to the blonde. “I….I don't know. It's kind of like my body froze.” She let out an almost strangled laugh. “She kind of has this thing about her that…..I don't even know how to describe it.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

Charity's head shot up. “No, Vanessa I did _not_ enjoy it. You have to understand that being back in her presence, after everything that happened between us, it just kind of…..scares the crap out of me to be honest. She makes my skin crawl.”

The blonde laughed sarcastically as she began lifting herself from the bed. “Ah come on Charity, what kind of ridiculous excuse is that? You're _scared_ of her? Do you think I'm stupid?” She started pacing at the bottom of the bed.

Charity watched her walking back and forth for a few moments before getting off the mattress herself.

“Is this about Ross?”

The teacher’s movements stopped. “What?” she asked confused.

“Is this about everything that's went on with Ross? Is it some sort of payback? Coz Charity this is the complete opposite.”

“Vanessa, you're crazy” Charity replied, her voice starting to rise to meet the vocal range of the blondes. “It's got nothing to do with him.”

“Are you sure? I mean, it seems like the perfect opportunity for you to use that against me but I thought we'd moved passed all that. Ross was never my ex though and I realise he had feelings for me all these years, but never were those feelings mutual. _Never_ …”

“Vanessa have you heard yourself? You're being completely irrational here. Why is it that every argument we have always centres back to Ross? Seriously Vanessa, why..?”

“You know what, this isn't about Ross, it's about Cara…” the blonde replied, running a hand through her messy hair.

“You brought him up” Charity defended.

Vanessa was getting more and more agitated as the argument continued. Her stomach was twisted in knots. She felt sick as her heart beats increased, blood racing through her veins. She needed an outlet. She found herself wanting to make good on her threat to Cara. Before she knew what she was doing she turned and stormed towards the door. As she reached for the handle, Charity's shout echoed in her ears.

“Vanessa don't you dare walk away from me again.”

The loud statement caused the blonde's body to tremble. Her hand remained on the door handle as her breaths came in short raspy intervals. She could hear her heart hammering in her ears. Suddenly the sound of her heart was joined by the sound of footsteps moving swiftly towards her. Turning she was almost lifted off her feet. Her back slammed against the door as lips crashed into her own. Initially she tried to fight off the teachers advance but her attempts were short lived. She realised she needed this right now, more than she could even describe. So she returned the kiss, with force.

Charity's left hand tangled in blonde hair, pulling Vanessa's face closer. She pushed her body into her girlfriends, a thigh forcing itself between trembling legs. A soft moan passed from Vanessa's mouth into Charity's as they began moving against one another. The kiss continued its rough, possessive exploration until eventually Charity pulled back, just far enough to speak. Blue eyes opened, staring into expressive green pools.

“Don't walk away from me again” the teacher whispered, her breath ragged from the heated kiss. “I couldn't bare it…” she finished, recapturing full lips in a bruising kiss. She sought out the reporters right hand. Guiding it towards the hem of her shorts, she pushed the hand below the waistband and into her underwear. She manoeuvred the blonde’s fingers to her soaked lips.

Vanessa gasped into the kiss, pulling back to suck in some air.

“This, Vanessa…..is for you.” She leant her forehead against the reporters, looking sincerely into her eyes. “It's only for you!”

Vanessa felt her anger begin to fizzle away. Any thought of Cara or anything else left her mind. All she saw now was Charity….. _her_ Charity. Retaking control of her own hand, she entered the teacher with force. She watched as her actions caused Charity's breath to hitch, her body tensing around her fingers. Their eyes never broke their connection.

Charity trembled under the blondes touch, her body adjusting to the force of Vanessa's movements. Her own hand slipped beneath her girlfriends shorts, locating a centre just as wet as hers had been. She brushed 2 fingers through swollen lips, grazing over the erect clit.

Her actions caused Vanessa's fingers to stop momentarily. As Charity entered her with 2 fingers, their lips met in a frenzied attack. Their hips began to move in perfect synchronicity. Every thrust pushed Vanessa's backside hard into the solid door.

Charity broke the kiss, moving her mouth to the blondes neck before sinking her teeth hard into the flesh she found. Vanessa gasped at the painful yet arousing sensation it gave her. Her free hand shot up to thread through blonde hair, pulling the teacher deeper into her.

“Charity..” she breathed.

The teacher lifted her head, her uneven breaths washing over Vanessa's face. She looked at the blonde with such intensity. “I'm yours Ness” she whispered. The movement of her fingers became harder, deeper and faster. Each thrust of her hips crashed against the blondes, continuing to knock Vanessa back into the wood. The blonde buried her face in Charity's neck, muffling out gasps and cries of encouragement.

It wasn't long before Charity felt the blonde’s walls tense around her fingers, but she didn't let up on her thrusts. The feel of Vanessa's walls sucking on her digits caused that sweet trembling sensation to overtake her own body and she too staggered over the edge, letting out a long, deep moan as she came.

The tremor's coursing through their bodies finally subsided and they lowered themselves to the floor. It was a short time later when they untangled their bodies and moved back over to the bed. Vanessa lay with her head in the crook of Charity's neck as the teacher ran her hand soothingly over the blondes back. Neither had spoken since their violent declaration of love, though words swam fiercely through each of their minds.

In that moment, Vanessa felt like such an idiot. She was embarrassed by the way she had reacted to something that was, in all seriousness, very innocent. At least on her girlfriend’s part it had been. Jealousy was a dangerous thing she realised.

“So, are we going to talk about what just happened?”

The reporter took in a deep breath before she answered her girlfriend. She knew she had to start her answer off with an apology. “Charity, I'm….I'm sorry. The way I acted, I was totally out of line.”

Charity shifted her gaze to the top of the blondes head. “I kind of understand…” she replied.

“No, Charity” the blonde started, lifting her head up to look at the teachers face. “Don't make excuses for me. Here I am again, blowing up in your face without giving you a chance to explain. I just….I saw red and I couldn't control the feelings washing over me.”

“Jealousy?”

The blonde nodded. “Crazy jealous. I've….I've never felt like that before. Every part of me was shaking with rage and no matter what I said to myself, I couldn't calm down.”

“Vanessa, if you had an ex that came back into your life and started coming onto you, the way Cara is with me, I don't think I'd act any differently.”

The reporter nodded weakly, looking down at Charity's chest. “I guess I was just worried.”

“About what?”

Lifting her gaze, she looked gloomily at her girlfriend. “That perhaps you were feeling some sort of rekindled attraction for her. I mean, she is a beautiful woman. In a totally stab you in the back, boil your bunny kind of way….and she's…”

“Vanessa” Charity interrupted, bringing her hand up to cup the blonde’s cheek. “I need you to really listen to me. Cara, is a woman from my past. We dated for…a few months, half of which being the most unsettling times of my life. Not counting these last few months. It ended, I moved on. Then, 9 years later, I met you. My beautiful, amazing girlfriend. The love of my life. The woman I would do _anything_ for. I have never, _ever_ felt as strongly for anyone, like I do for you, babe. You're it for me. No one even comes close to rivalling you.” Her hand grasped the blondes. She lay her palm over her heart. “This belongs to you. _Always_.”

The blonde was fighting back the tears. “I know this already Charity.” She let out a laugh. “Jealousy really is a green eyed monster.”

“You can say that again” Charity agreed. “I know how I felt about the way Ross was acting with you, and he wasn't even an ex.”

“I don't ever want to feel like that again. God knows what I might do.”

“Then don't Vanessa. You’ve never got any reason to be jealous of anyone. You have to believe me.”

The blonde nodded before leaning down to press their lips together. The kiss lasted a few moments before Charity pulled out of it, caressing Vanessa's cheek. “I'm gonna go do something I should have done earlier.”

“What?”

“I'm gonna go talk to Cara. I'm gona tell her that it's not OK for her to be doing this.”

“You know, I may have had a few words with her this afternoon…”

“I forgot about that” Charity replied, raising an eyebrow. “What did you actually say?”

The blonde opened her mouth wondering whether she needed to go into details. “Well, let's just say I told her, semi-nicely, to back off, before I did something I may regret later…”

“Is it wrong that I find that kinda hot” the teacher replied with a smile.

Vanessa shifted her body slightly, until she rested her upper body on her elbow. “Charity Dingle, are you admitting to enjoying having 2 women fight over you?”

Charity smirked. “You know, in other circumstance I probably would enjoy it, but the only thing I find hot about this situation is you…..all enraged and possessive. I know, in the heat of the moment it was all _drama_ ” she animated, causing the blonde to flash her smile. “…but throughout the argument, I was turned on. You're friggin’ gorgeous when you're angry Vanessa Woodfield.”

“You find my jealousy and anger a turn on?”

“Like you wouldn't believe, babe.”

“Hmm” the blonde pondered. “I'll have to remember that.”

They fell into a comfortable silence for the first time that afternoon. Vanessa's body had finally come down from the alarmingly high voltaged tirade it had gotten itself into.

Charity on the other hand was beginning to feel anxious again. Here came another difficult situation. What the hell was she going to say to Cara? Should she storm in there, all guns blazing and tell her to back the hell off or maybe just sit down and tell her how her actions were completely inappropriate? No, she'd tried that once before _, in a sense_ , 10 years ago. Cara had never been one for rational, gentle brush off’s. Charity needed to make it clear to her. Spell it out to her like she was a child. They were grown ups for god sake, it shouldn't have to be this hard.

 _What if I send_ _Vanessa_ _to do it instead?_ she thought.

No, she knew that would be a bad idea. Firstly, she knew this was something that needed to come from her. This was her fire to put out and secondly, Vanessa had proven today that she was a force not to be reckoned with. If she went to find Cara on her own, god knows what might happen!

 _That might not be such….NO, stop it! Your girlfriend has balls. She'd eat_ _Cara_ _alive. Don't let the blue eyes and the_ _cute little smile_ _fool you. She's badass_ she thought, causing her chest to bounce slightly as a chuckle escaped her lips.

“What are you giggling about?” the blonde asked suspiciously.

She hadn't meant to let that laugh come out. She shook her head, blushing slightly. “It's nothing, I just….I was picturing you going all kung fu on Cara.”

“Ahh, well in all honesty, if you hadn't stopped me from walking out before, I was off to find my arch nemesis. Consequences be damned.”

The teacher smiled up at the blonde. “I love you” she whispered.

“I love you too.”

“I've got an idea” Charity started. “How about I go find your _arch nemesis_ now and put an end to all this crap and then you and I go for a nice walk before we have to get changed for tonight?”

The blonde nodded her agreement. “Sounds good.” She began getting up from the bed, closely followed by the teacher. As Charity made for her way to the bathroom to freshen up, Vanessa contemplated her thoughts. “Are you alright going by yourself or do you think you need some back up?”

Turning the tap off, Charity came back into the main area, drying her hands on a towel. “I think this is something I have to do by myself, babe. Are you alright with that?”

The blonde held her gaze for a few moments before nodding her head in understanding. “I'm fine with it Charity.” She walked toward her girlfriend, engulfing her arms around her waist. “You just make sure she knows that if she makes another pass at you, you're gona be left with no other choice then to unleash your _badass_ girlfriend…”

“I couldn't have put it better myself!”

\-------

Making her way downstairs, Charity had been told Cara was in her office making a few phone calls. Ashley escorted her to the room. Knocking quietly they heard a muffled “Come in” before Ashley slipped open the door. “A Miss Dingle to see you ma'am.”

“Oh, send her in” came the reply from behind the door. Stepping back out of the room, Ashley nodded his head and indicated for Charity to enter before he walked away.

Taking a second to compose herself, Charity took in a deep breath, steadying her erratic heart. Walking over the threshold her eyes immediately found her ex seated behind a desk looking at her with a sense of intrigue.

“Charity…this is unexpected” the hotel owner smiled. “Please, come on in, make yourself comfortable.”

Charity was about to shut the door when her hand hesitated on the handle. Perhaps it would be better to leave the door open?

“Charity?”

Brought from her thoughts, the teacher slid the door shut and glided towards the desk. She looked at Cara, who raised an eyebrow in questioning. The teacher’s mouth was suddenly very dry. “Look” she started, “Cara, I think you know why I'm here…” She stared into her ex's eyes with the best angry glare she could produce, hoping to stare the woman down. After a few moments, Cara smiled and tore her eyes from the teachers.

“Charity, please take a seat” she told her, pointing toward the vacant seat at the teachers side.

After a brief hesitation, Charity breathed heavily through her nose and slumped into the chair. Her eye's remained on her ex. “Cara, seriously, I'm not here for some sort of sappy catch up…” she said flatly. “I've come to talk to you about…..well, about all this….” she pointed back and forth between herself and her ex. “…all this crap you're trying to pull. I don't appreciate it and I can tell you right now, Vanessa doesn't either.”

Cara continued to study the teacher. The smallest of smiles was playing on her lips - more so at the end of Charity's statement. So she had angered the blue eyed girlfriend? She found herself wondering what exactly had happened after the game. She'd seen Vanessa avoiding Charity in the few minutes she'd hung around at the court side. It filled her with a feeling of satisfaction.

“Cara?”

“Hmm, sorry Charity, I've just had a few things swimming around in my head - lots of organising to be done for tonight….please, go on…”

Frustration began to work its way into Charity's head. “Look, I came here to tell you to back off, OK? I don't know if this is just some sort of pathetic game you've decided to play, but it has to stop. Your pathetic advances aren't welcome on me.”

Cara began to laugh, throwing her head back as her back met with the padded cushion of her seat. The gesture had cut right through Charity. She grit her teeth, telling herself to keep calm as she watched her ex compose herself.

“Oh Charity, you always made me laugh….” she started. Standing up she began rounding the table. Hovering by Charity's chair, she leant her backside on the edge of her desk. “Well….most of the time…”

Charity looked down at her lap. She was getting more and more frustrated, at herself as much as at Cara. She hated the fact that this woman made her feel as nerve rackingly edgy as she had when they were teenagers. “Cara, I'm not muckin’ about here…you're a married woman for god sake. Why do you feel the need to make these blatantly obvious passes at me?”

Cara pursed her lips and looked at the floor. A few moments passed before she replied. “You want the truth Charity? I…..I think seeing you again, after all these years, it’s brought back so many memories. The time we shared together, however brief it was, they were the best times of my life. I loved you, with all my heart.” She looked back up at the teacher. “I won’t lie to you Charity, I think about you often. My first love. You were….” she chuckled. “You were unforgettable.”

Charity stared at her ex, her lips slightly parted as her brain tried to register Cara's words. She had never expected the woman to actually come out and admit to all of this. What the hell was she meant to say to this?

“Charity….I admit it, I feel deeply for you.” She leaned forward, closer to the teacher. “I can’t help it. I've tried to forget you. I married my husband hastily, hoping to distract myself from you and how you broke my heart. But it was all in vein. Nothing, it seems, could make me forget you.”

Charity knew she had to stop this woman's verbal diarrhoea, she'd heard more than enough. “Cara, I….”

“No, please Charity, let me say this. I hoped to get you here, to show you everything that could be yours. This…” she gestured around the room. “It could be yours too. You'd be happy…. _we_ , would be happy, _together_.”

Charity sat with a look of pure shock on her face. She was lost for words…..and not in a good way. Was this a joke? Another one of Cara's schemes? A way of getting back at her for ending the relationship? Surely it had to be. She couldn't possibly be proposing that Charity give up everything and…..and what? Be her girlfriend?

This was…..this was…..there were no words to describe it. She felt increasingly uncomfortable under Cara's stare. She needed to get up, to distance herself from this woman. She got to her feet and began backing away. “Cara, you cant be serious? This is….it's ridiculous. We're both in relationships. I don't know anything about yours but mine is a happy, healthy and loving relationship. And it's one that I don't want to have end.”

“Charity, why are you backing away from me?” Cara asked, standing up and moving toward the teacher. “Am I making you feel uncomfortable?”

“Yes, actually, you are. The way you're actin’….the things you're sayin’. They have to stop. I'm seriously considering packing my stuff up and leaving right now. I didn't come here for this crap. I didn't even give a shit ‘bout coming here in the first place.” She continued to back away as her ex continued her advance. Realising she'd ran out of space when her back came up against the far wall, Charity felt a moments distress before…. “Cara” she suddenly shouted, a mixture of agitation and anxiety coursing through her veins. “If you don't back the hell off, your face is gona meet with my fist.” That finally stopped the hotel owner’s footsteps.

Cara ran her eye's from Charity's face, down her throat and over her heaving chest. She felt butterflies erupt in her stomach at the sight of the teachers raspy breaths forcing her breasts firmly into her tank top. A smile played at her lips again. Looking back at the teachers face, she began to laugh. “Charity, that was too easy!” She continued to laugh as she made her way back to her desk.

Charity's chest stopped moving as her breathing stopped momentarily. What had just happened? She tentatively stepped away from the wall. “Wh…what?” she asked.

Perched back in her seat, Cara smiled over to the teacher. “You are too easy to play Charity. I wondered how long it would take for you to totally crack!”

The teacher’s eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to catch on to what the hell was going on. “So, what? You're saying that this has all been part of a game for you? This whole time?”

Laughing Cara began a round of fake applause. “It's nice of you to catch up. Seriously Charity, do you think after all these years I'm still pining after you? Please….I mean, you're hot and everything, there's no denying that but things have changed. _I_ changed….a lot! When I saw your name on the guest list, I couldn't help but wonder how much fun I would have playing you for a little bit. I have to admit….it's been fun.”

The teacher's eyes widened. “Fun? Cara, this has not been fun.” Charity spat back at her. “The way you've behaved today has been totally inappropriate. It's not the kind of thing you do to someone who is in a relationship.”

“Oh Charity, look I'm sorry OK? To you and to Vanessa. I can assure you though, she has no reason to worry.”

“You're damn right she doesn't. You know what….I think its best you stay away from me for the rest of our stay here. I want nothing more to do with you.” She began moving to the door. “You say you've changed? I don't see it. You're still the messed up little brat that you always we're and I'm so glad to be out of it.” With that Charity took one last look at the smile on Cara's face and left the room.

As the door slammed shut, the smile disappeared from Cara's face. She looked down at her desk before closing her eyes and sighing. After a few moments she reached for the phone. Quickly dialling, she waited for an answer.

“It's me, yea. It hasn't worked. No. OK. Yes, as of this moment, plan B is in affect….” Hanging up the phone she reached to her left, opening up the bottom draw of her desk, she took out a photo. “Oh, Charity. This could have all been avoided….”

xxxxxxxxxx

Smoothing down the fabric on her hip, Charity gave herself the once over in the mirror. She'd opted to wear a snug black dress that hung just above her knee. Happy enough with her appearance, she turned just in time to see Vanessa coming out of the bathroom.

“Blimey” Charity breathed. “You look stunning 'Ness…” she finished, walking toward the smaller blonde.

Vanessa had decided on a blue dress which like Charity's, hung just above the knee, giving a generous eyeful of her toned legs. “Stunning enough to meet the rest of your former high school friends?”

“Are you kiddin’?” Charity asked. “With that dress and those eye’s” she said, kissing both of the blonde's cheeks. “I'm gonna have to stand behind you all night, beating people off with a stick…”

Giggling the smaller blonde leant in to brush her lips gently against the teachers, being careful not to smudge applied make-up. “You look amazing too Charity. I feel honoured bein’ the one to walk in that room with you tonight.”

“Mhmm” Charity agreed. “We’re one hot catch babe. We should be used to this.”

“Are you ready to head down?”

“Yea, Cain text about a few minute’s ago saying the hall was already pretty crowded.” Breaking the contact, they picked up their purses and made for the door. Holding it open for the reporter to pass Charity smiled, took a deep breath and walked out of the room.

When she'd arrived back at their room a few hours earlier, she'd insisted that they go out for that planned walk before she disclosed the details of her conversation with Cara. Taking Vanessa out of the hotel seemed like the safer option and what a good idea that had been. As soon as Charity had retold the part of Cara admitting to her feelings, hoping Charity would consider starting up their relationship once more, Vanessa had stopped walking, her anger returning in full force.

“I can't believe she's still trying this after I…”

“Vanessa, let me finish please…” Charity had told her. She had quickly skirted over the being backed up against a wall, realising this would do nothing to ease her girlfriend’s anger. As she finished the explanation, Vanessa had simply looked at her, not really knowing what to say. In all truthfulness, she was having a hard time believing that Cara had been playing them this whole time. She'd noticed something….something that she couldn't really put into words. There was a small part of her that believed there was more than just harmless pranks behind the day’s events.

Relief had filled her however when Charity had stated she had finally put her ex in her place. Maybe that would be all the telling Cara would need. It didn't really matter though. Tomorrow they would be heading home and all this would be behind them. Back in the past….where Cara belonged.

Making it to the Orchid Suite they walked, hand in hand through the large double doors. The suite looked absolutely amazing. It kind of reminded Charity of her high school prom. Balloons and ribbons decorated the walls and ceilings as well as what looked to be old school photographs. Tables and chairs had been pushed to the right hand side of the suite, while a large dance floor and stage filled the left side.

“I have to admit” Vanessa started, “Cara has gone all out here..”

With a shake of her head Charity replied. “Anything to be the centre of attention.”

Seeing their friends waving them over, they headed towards the far right corner of the room. On route, Charity stopped to shake hands with a man she’d tutored through science.

“You were so good with the human body” David said. “I thought you would have become a doctor…”

Charity laughed, “You know, I think we've got enough doctors in this room” she gestured to the table over the man's shoulder.

“I guess that's true. From what I've heard you've done very well for yourself anyway.”

“Thank you” she smiled. “This is my partner, Vanessa..”

David smiled, nodding his head slightly. “It's always a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you David, it's nice to meet you” the blonde replied. As they continued their journey over to their friends, Vanessa leant slightly into the teacher. “Maybe not everyone will know about the article then…”

“Oh my god, I can't believe you're here” came an excited male voice to their side.

“Uh oh” Charity whispered. She smiled as the man came closer “…here comes our high school reporter!”

“Vanessa Woodfield” he almost shouted as he reached them, “I've been dying to meet you. That article…..wow, and your follow up work over the last few months, wow again! It's an absolute dream to meet you” he finished, offering his hand.

Vanessa suppressed a laugh at his excitement as she grasped his eagerly offered hand. “Hi there, sorry I didn't catch your name…”

“Oh, how silly of me, it’s Jimmy” he smiled. Looking at Charity for the first time he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Charity, it's lovely seeing you again. You look as amazing as ever.”

Charity, unlike the blonde did laugh. “Thank you Jimmy.”

“You're officially my claim to fame Charity Dingle. When I saw Vanessa's article was directed at you I skipped around the basement at work saying I went to school with Vanessa Woodfield's girlfriend.”

Both women laughed as Jimmy started to skip on the spot. “Where do you work?” Vanessa enquired.

“I work for Daybreak, unfortunately just in the basement. Still waiting to catch my big break…” he laughed. “Hey, I don't want to monopolise all your time but I would be honoured if you'd let me pick your brains at some point tonight..?”

“No, ofcourse not. I’d be honoured to answer any questions you have” the blonde replied.

“Excellent! Charity, you are one hell of a lucky woman.”

Watching Jimmy bounce away Charity nudged her hip into Vanessa's. “You spoke too soon _Miss_ _Woodfield_ _”_ she laughed.

Twenty minutes later they were enjoying some wine and greeting old friends. The old gang stayed close together, bailing each other out when unwanted advances arrived.

“I wonder where Cara is..” Bernice started. “You'd think she'd be here meeting and greeting everyone.”

“She'll be wanting to make a big entrance” Cain mocked.

“Really” Charity said, faking shock, “That doesn't sound like her…”

Bernice leaned in to the teacher. “You had anymore trouble?” she asked.

Charity looked at Vanessa who raised both eyebrows before taking a sip of her wine. “Well, let's just say…” she started, “…she's been put in her place.”

Cain stepped into the conversation. “Oh really? Did that accidental trip on court today have something to do with her being put in her place?” he finished, looking to the blonde.

Grinning for a moment, Vanessa attempted to look shocked. “Well, it may have helped, but for the record that was a complete accident…”

“Yea, sure it was Vanessa” Cain replied.

“I believe you” Rhona added with a wink.

The Orchid suite was now crammed full of guests. It wasn't long before Cara made her entrance, greeting people gleefully as she made her way over the dance floor. As soon as she stepped onto the stage, people began clapping and cheering. Everyone that is, except for a handful of guests, situated in the far right corner of the suite. Cara it seemed, was enjoying every moment of her appreciation. Eventually, as everyone one settled, she began talking into the microphone.

“Wow, what a reception. Thank you so much for that but really, I had _alot_ of help organising this reunion so please, could I have another round of applause for my hard working, dedicated staff…” After another generous chorus of cheers, Cara took to the microphone once more. “It goes without saying I'm over the moon that so many of you have turned up. What started out as a passing idea over facebook, somehow morphed into this massive celebration. I thank you all for coming and please, have a fabulous night. I think it’s about time we get this party underway.” She nodded towards the DJ who immediately turned the volume up.

Music pumped through the room as guests started making their way onto the dance floor.

“May I have this dance?” Charity asked the blonde, offering a hand.

“You can have anything you want” Vanessa replied.

Charity grinned. “Like the sound of that.”

As they stood and turned around, the smiles on each of their faces faded in an instant. “Hi…” Cara started.

“Cara, I already tol…”

“I know” the hotel owner interrupted. “…and I heard you Charity, I would just like to have a word with Vanessa if that’s alright?”

Charity looked at her puzzled and was about to say _no you_ _can’t_ when Vanessa stepped toward Cara. “Yes, that will be fine” the smaller blonde replied.

As Cara began walking away, Vanessa turned and winked at Charity before following the other woman.

The teacher watched them walk away as Bernice cleared her throat behind her. “So the ex wants a private word with the current girlfriend. Do you think you should be worried Charity?”

The teachers eyes remained on the retreating forms as she shook her head slightly. “It's Cara that should be worried.”

Stopping just inside the double doors, Cara turned to the blonde. “Vanessa, I'm sure Charity filled you in our…. _discussion_ this afternoon…”

“You mean the one where you _jokingly_ told my girlfriend you wanted her to drop everything back home, including me and come here to be with you? Yea she might have mentioned that” Vanessa replied dryly.

Cara laughed, a sound that made the blondes skin crawl. “I can only imagine how amusing her retelling of events was. That's why I did it. Messing with Charity is so easy.”

Vanessa couldn't quite believe how immaturely this woman was behaving. “Look Cara, if you mess with Charity, you mess with me….and that's not a pretty road to go down. I think I showed you that earlier today” she continued, her gaze briefly shifting to the hotel owners arm. “I look out for people I love and I will not stand here and let you walk all over her like some pathetic bully. You're a grown woman for God sake. Start acting like it.”

“Vanessa, I've had my fun. I apologise for making things tense between the 2 of you…”

“Ohh don't flatter yourself, Cara” the blonde interrupted, an almost laugh escaping her. “You really think you posed as some sort of threat to our relationship? What Charity and I have is strong, so don't for one second think you did anything to jeopardise the foundations of it. I think, for your own sake you should stay away from both me and Charity for the night.”

“Is that a threat” Cara challenged, her eyes narrowing.

Keeping her face straight, Vanessa took a step closer to Cara. “I'm not usually one for threats, but you've pushed me today, more than I've ever been pushed before Cara. So yes, you may consider this a threat. Stay away from me, and stay away from Charity.” Staring the hotel owner down for a few more seconds, she turned on her heel, leaving Cara to watch her stride away.

Seeing Vanessa walking back to her, Charity got to her feet and met the blonde half way. She'd been sitting biting her nail as she watched the women talk over the other side of the room. “Everything alright?” she asked.

The blonde smiled as she leant in to take the teachers hand. “Everything's fine Charity. Come on, dance with me” she finished, tugging the teacher to the dance floor.

\-------

A couple of hours later, everyone was definitely feeling the effects of their alcohol consumption. What started out as shy greetings with almost strangers, turned into loud reminisces and 10 years ago felt like only last week.

Vanessa and Charity stood talking and laughing with a handful of friends when Jimmy made his way over. “Excuse me Miss Woodfield, could I ask you to dance?”

“Oh, urm…I guess” the blonde replied, she looked at Charity who grinned and grasped the drink in Vanessa's hand. “That OK?” the blonde asked her.

“Ofcourse” Charity laughed. “But babe…” the teacher continued, leaning her body in the blonde's and bringing her mouth to her ear. Swaying her hips she began to sing…. “Don't forget who's taking you home and in who's arms you're gonna be. So darlin’, save the last dance for me.” Coming to an end, she kissed the skin beneath Vanessa's ear and pulled back.

The gesture sent shivers through the blonde's body. “Always” she smiled. Turning to the aspiring reporter, Vanessa made her way onto the dance floor.

“If he's anything like he used to be, he's gonna talk her ear off for the rest of the night.” Priya almost shouted.

“She can handle it” Charity told her. “She loves her job and I'm sure she'll enjoy talkin’ to him.”

“Well if you'll excuse me” Rhona started. “Time to go take some more snaps” she grinned, patting her camera and walking away.

“So Dingle” Cain started. “Are you gonna tell us what the hell’s happened between you and Cara today?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, the fact she was all over you this afternoon and tonight she's done nothing but avoid you. Somethings obviously happened. Did I miss some girl on girl fighting? Coz honestly Charity, I'd feel hurt that you wouldn't…”

“Will you for once think with the brain in your head Cain” Charity suddenly snapped at him, causing everyone to stare wide eyed at her.

“Whoa, Charity, I'm sorry, I'm just a little worried. I can see you and blondie seem good though so….I just wanted to make sure everything else was alright?”

She sighed. “Things kind of came to a head this afternoon. It's been dealt with though. Turns out she was just messing around, no real cause for alarm.”

“I'm glad to hear that” Tracy input. “Vanessa wouldn't stand for it” she winked.

“I've realised that” Charity laughed. “We're heading back tomorrow though, all this will be in the past.” Finishing her drink, she stood up, got a few orders and headed over to the bar.

\------

Jimmy had kept Vanessa on the dance floor for 3 songs. He was intrigued to hear everything she had to share about making it in reporting. He'd engulfed her in a big bear hug when she agreed to allow him to email her some of his work….hoping perhaps she could pull some strings and give him some sort of break. She of all people knew that all it took was one good story.

Parting ways, Vanessa made her way back to the group. She leaned into Chas. “Where's Charity?”

“Ohh, I don't know” Chas replied, though the twinkle in her eye said different.

Before the blonde could challenge her answer, she heard Cain’s voice echo through the room. “Testing, is this thing on?”

“Pocky Jocky, Pocky Jocky, Pocky Jocky” a few men started chanting.

Cain stiffened briefly, remembering the very last time he'd heard that whilst on the phone to the murderer back home. He relaxed himself, remembering this was the name that stuck in school. He laughed and rolled his eyes. “I don't think I'm pocket size anymore fella's…”

Friendly banter was thrown his way before he calmed them down and turned his attention to his left. “I know we've had a few…..ugh, wannabe singers up here tonight, but now you're in for something really special. I trust you guys remember the gorgeous, the enchanting, Charity Dingle…” he held out his left arm, indicating for the teacher to join him. Charity walked gracefully to the centre of the stage, gesturing her acknowledgement to the wild applause and wolf whistles she received. Coming up alongside Cain, she took the offered microphone.

“Thanks Cain, I've got it from here” she spoke into the microphone. Turning to the room her eyes scanned the crowds until her green eye's met with surprised blue. “I thought perhaps I should attempt to belt out a song of my own. Now I have a confession to make….I know I used to sing around the halls back at school, like _constantly_ _,_ but the only time I really sing now is when I'm driving or in the shower…” she wiggled her eyebrows towards the blonde, whose laugh caught in her throat and ended up coming out as a cough.

Priya looked between the 2 of them. “Mhmmmm” she mocked.

Back up on stage Charity grinned as she scanned the crowds of people. “The song I've chosen is a personal favourite of mine and I dedicate it to my beautiful girlfriend, Vanessa.”

A round of _awwww_ sounded throughout the room as the first few notes of _On a night like this_ played through the speakers. On the opposite side of the room to Vanessa, Cara watched the teacher on the stage with her jaw locked.

Everyone in the room began to cheer as Charity’s voice echoed around the room. The loudest being the occupants of Vanessa's table. They went wild, banging the table top while Vanessa stood, eyes locked with Charity's as she listed to every word that was sang to her. The room went crazy again as the music and Charity's voice rose, the beat pumping through their bodies.

Rhona stood up and wandered over to the blonde. “I'll get some snaps” she told her. “Something tells me you'll want to remember this part of the night.”

Cara had seen enough. She'd pleaded in her mind for Charity to look over to her, to show some sort of recognition…but nothing. The teacher's eyes had barely ventured from the blonde haired, blue eyed woman across the other side of the room. Excusing herself, she plastered a smile on her face and walked towards the main doors.

Vanessa’s breath hitched in her mouth at the power behind her girlfriend’s voice. She found herself clapping and cheering along with everyone else in the room. Charity in the mean time was completely into the song. She clenched her fists, summoning all the force she could to finish off the song.

Pulling out a mobile phone, Cara dialled a number. “It's me. Yea, be on the look out.” Hanging up she slipped her phone back in her bag and walked back into the suite.

As the song ended, the room erupted in excited applause. Vanessa clapped her hands vigorously, her tears spilling over her lids. Charity thanked the crowd and stepped off the stage. Receiving pats on the back, she made her way to her friends and suddenly found herself pulled into a bruising kiss.

“Anyone else getting a case of de ja vu?” Tracy asked.

“Totally” Moira laughed.

Pulling back, Vanessa flashed a wide smile. “I love you, Charity Dingle” she whispered.

\-------

The party continued, Charity's performance encouraging other's to get up and try it themselves. As the gang sat around watching the old football team, including Cain, Liam and Jai sing their version of Y.M.C.A, Vanessa excused herself and made for the toilet. Leaving the Orchid suite she walked through the empty main entrance, her steps only slightly wayward from her alcohol consumption. Pushing open the bathroom door, she smiled as a couple of women passed her.

A couple minutes later she exited her cubicle and made her way over to the sinks. As she washed her hands she found herself picturing Charity up on stage singing to her. A smile played at her lips as she started to hum the tune out loud. As she reached for the paper towels, she felt herself engulfed from behind. An arm wrapped around her chest while another hand, holding some sort of cloth covered her mouth and nose. She tried to scream….she tried to struggle, but it was all in vein as the sweet smelling substance covering the cloth relaxed her muscles until finally, she lay unconscious in her attacker’s arms.

\-------

Charity threw her head back in laughter as she watched Priya down a glass of Rhona's invention, screwing up her face in disgust as the liquid washed down her throat. “Oh my god girl” Priya spluttered. “Seriously, what the hell is that?”

“I call this the early onset alzheimers” Rhona replied, “So don't worry Priya, you won’t remember it tomorrow…”

“Mmm, tasteful…” Liam remarked.

Ignoring Liam's reply, Rhona turned to the teacher. “Come on Charity, give it a try…” She held the small glass under the other woman’s nose.

“You know….I think I'll pass thanks…”

“Your loss” the photographer replied. “I bet Vanessa would try it though. Actually, where is she? She's been gone ages!”

“Oh god, she's probably been held up by Jimmy again” Bernice gasped. They all scanned the room, looking for any sign of the blonde. “There's Jimmy” the redhead said, pointing to the man that looked to be dancing the funky chicken alone next to the DJ's assemble.

“Well she's not with him” Charity laughed. “I'll go find her…”

Making her way across the room her eyes scanned the masses of heads, looking for any sign of blonde hair. Reaching the main doors she was stopped briefly by a few people, being congratulated on having such a wonderful voice. Eventually excusing herself, she made for the toilets.

Entering the toilets she checked the cubicles, finding them all open. “Ness?” she tried. No answer. She was about to turn when she caught sight of a purse by the sink. Walking closer she recognised it to be her girlfriends. Picking it up she opened it, looking over the contents to verify that it was definitely Vanessa's. She looked back at the cubicles. “Ness?” she tried again.

A half smile pulled at one side of her mouth as her mind told her the blonde had been waiting for her again. Putting the purse down she went to check each cubicle individually. Finding they were all empty she frowned. “Oooookay” she said aloud.

All of a sudden a thought entered her mind. A hand flew to her mouth. No….no this was crazy. It was just a coincidence. Nothing was wrong. They were miles away….there were loads of people here, she was just lost in the crowd. But her purse…she wouldn't just leave it lying here in the toilets. Picking up the purse with her free hand, she felt her body begin to tremble. She could feel it, there was no denying it. Something was wrong. “No…” she breathed through her hand. This couldn't be happening. “Not again….”

Making a run for the door, she ran back to the Orchid suite. Her tear filled eyes frantically scanned the room as she headed over to her friends.

Cain saw the teacher approaching. He could tell immediately that something was wrong. “Charity…” he started, jumping from his seat.

“Is she here? Have you seen her?” Charity almost shouted to the group.

“Vanessa? No, Charity she hasn't come back” Bernice told her. She, like the rest began to feel panicked by the teachers hysterical behaviour. Watching Charity crane her neck again they all looked at one another then began to do the same.

“Charity” Tracy began, coming up alongside the other woman. “What's happened? Where's my sister?”

“She wasn't in the toilets” Charity told her, her eye's continuing to look around. “Her purse….it was left in there Tracy.” She looked back at the hairdresser. “Vanessa wouldn't just leave it lying there…” They shared a knowing look as they heard Priya speak.

“Charity, calm down, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this…”

“No” Charity snapped at her. “She wouldn't leave it. Something's wrong, I can feel it.”

Everyone looked at each other. There had to be a simple reason for why the purse had been left. Vanessa just got distracted, she was drunk, her mind preoccupied with her serenading girlfriend.

“Ok, I'm gonna make an announcement” Cain said. “It's possible she's in here talking to someone and we just can't see her. It'll be alright.” Striding to the DJ, the other's watched on as Cain spoke to the man before walking on to the stage. As the music cut off, there was a round of boo's until Cain began to talk. “I'm sorry, it'll go back on in a second, I just have one thing to ask.” He looked over at his best friend briefly before continuing. “Vanessa, are you in here?” The room was silent. Everyone began looking around. “Has anybody seen Vanessa Woodfield? Blonde hair, blue eyes, smokin’ hot body…' he went on, attempting a joke to ease the sudden tension in the room.

“We saw her…” came a woman's voice.

Every head in the room turned in her direction. “You saw her?” came Charity's response as she began striding over to the woman.

“Yea. My friend and I were leaving the toilets when she went in.”

Reaching the woman, Charity stopped just in front of her. “How long ago?”

The woman looked at her friend. “Ummm, about 15 minutes ago now…”

Charity stood staring at the woman, almost pleading with her eye's for her to give her something else…..anything else.

“What's happened?” came a man’s voice.

When Charity didn't reply, Cain cleared his throat. “I think Vanessa might be having a game of hide and seek.” He attempted a smile, but it never reached his eyes. He knew this situation all too well. The resemblance to that night in the Crane was uncanny.

A thought hit Charity like a ton of bricks. Her head whipped around as she stormed off toward the object of her notions. Coming up to the hotel owner she shoved the woman backwards, much to the horror of those around her. “Where is she?” Charity spat, her hand pinning Cara's shoulder to the wall.

“Wh…what, Charity, I don't know.”

“Don't lie to me Cara, since we got her you've done nowt but pull strings like a frigging puppet master. Now tell me what the hell you did to her?”

Bernice, Rhona and Tracy were suddenly behind the teacher, but didn't make an attempt at pulling the other woman away. They knew she must have a good reason to be this forceful. Everyone in the room focused their attention on the scene, wondering what the hell was going on.

“Charity, I've been in this exact spot for over half an hour now…” Cara told her, glancing to the people surrounding them.

“It's true” a woman to Charity's left said. The teacher turned to the source of the voice. “She's been with us for a while now” the woman agreed. Charity continued to glare at the woman a few moments longer before turning back to the woman she had pinned to the wall. She wasn't completely convinced.

“Charity…” Cara started, “I'm sure everything is fine. Maybe she stepped outside for some fresh air…”

“I'm on it…” Rhona replied, turning swiftly and almost running to the double doors.

Charity's eye's continued to scrutinize the woman in front of her. It wasn't until Tracy and Bernice touched her arms that she finally looked away. “Charity, come on, she's fine. My sister is fine” Tracy told her.

Though the room was filled with around 200 guests, it was deafeningly silent. People looked around, half not aware of previous events surrounding the blonde, while others nervously wondered if they were now standing in the middle of a crime scene.

Taking her hand from Cara's shoulder, Charity backed away. Turning around she scanned the room. All eye's seemed to be on her. Silent sympathetic glances were being sent her way. She felt like breaking down and crying. Her body felt numb.

“Rhona?”

Charity looked up at Cain, who still stood with the microphone. Seeing his gaze on the double doors, everyone followed his lead. Rhona stood in the doorway, her defeated body shuffling slightly into the room.

Charity felt a wave of sickness wash over her like a tsunami. “No…” she whispered. Taking control of her heavy legs she's glided over to the photographer until she was stood just in front of her. She was closely followed by several others. “Rhona…wh…what is it…?” she stuttered, fighting against the tears.

The smaller woman was on the verge of tears herself. Her mouth opened and closed several times before any words came out. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked at Charity. “I….I went to shout for her outside and….and I found this…” Lifting her hand she offered a sheet of paper to the teacher.

Grasping the paper, Charity scanned the note. Her body stiffened and the tears she'd been fighting suddenly gushed from her lids, spilling on to the paper. “No…NOOOOOOOOO!”

\------


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for your lovely comments on the last chapter. Kind of left you all hanging, didn't I? Sorry, not sorry.. ;-) Back with the next instalment this morning though so didn't leave you for too long. I'm really glad you're enjoying it. Lets see what's happened to our poor Vanessa, eh?

Chapter  16

Vanessa finally began to stir. She opened and closed her heavy eyelids slowly while her mind tried to focus on her surroundings. Where the hell was she? Finally conscious, she realised she was lying on the ground….the stone cold floor beneath her cheek. Moving her right arm to help herself up, she was suddenly restrained. Her eye's shifted to her right wrist.

_What the…?_

Why the hell was her wrist chained to….her gaze followed the chains which lead into the wall behind her. Confusion circled her brain as she glanced back at the room she was currently in. There wasn't much to see. The stone walled room she found herself in was dimly lit by a lamp on a simple table at the other side of the room. To her immediate left was a toilet and basin. That was pretty much it.

She looked back down at her chained wrist, attempting to pull the restraint over her hand. No such luck. Turning, she pulled at the other end of the chain, stupidly hoping it wasn't as real as it looked. After a few moments however, her hope evaporated. Frustrated, she pushed the chain out of her grasp.

What the hell happened? How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was…..Her eyes widened. She'd been grabbed. Someone had grabbed her and….covered her mouth.

_Did I faint? No, well…..it felt like it_ _.._

Looking at her watch, she frowned. 1.15am. That couldn't be right. She'd looked at the clock in the reception area on her way to the toilet’s and it had been barely passed 11. Had she really been unconscious for nearly 2 hours? No, this wasn't happening. Who had taken her?

_It couldn't be…..No, we're miles away, he doesn't know about the trip. He has a thing for finding me in restrooms though…_

The sound of movement to her right made her head whip up. Someone was on the other side of the metal door. She heard some beeping followed by what sounded like a machine being started up. “Hello?” she shouted. “Can anyone hear me? I'm in here.” Her heart thumped against her ribcage. What the hell was about to happen? Who was gonna be on the other side of that door? She didn't have too much time to wonder as the metal door began to slide open. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her breathing becoming faster.

As a figure stepped into the room, her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes stared in horror at the figure in front of her. She quickly closed her eyes, causing tears to spill down her cheeks. She prayed desperately that this wasn't happening, it was merely a figment of her imagination. Tentatively, she lifted her lids again.

Her heart sank. It was still there…..looking down at her. The clown that had been haunting her dreams for months now. The clown that had killed her friends. The clown that had attacked her only a week before in her own home and more recently, had obviously grabbed her just hours before. Here he stood, looking down at her with his dark, cold eyes.

He began moving slowly towards her. The blonde's body tensed, every inch of her skin felt as though she was being electrocuted. She wanted to scream, to shout for help, but she couldn't. Fear consumed her, engulfed her body until it felt like she was being strangled.

Then, another figure came into view, just behind the clown. Vanessa's glistening eyes shifted to the new presence. She took in a painfully deep lungful of air. “You…” she breathed.

Stepping around the clown, the figure stopped just in front of the blonde. “Yes….. _me_ ” Cara replied with a smile.

Something snapped inside the blonde. She made a lunge forward, ready to pounce on the hotel owner, but her efforts came to a sharp end as the metal restrained on her wrist pulled her back. “You fucking bitch” the blonde screamed. “This whole time….you….you did all of this?” she screamed, her hands flapping around. “I don't…..this whole time?” she repeated, “You murdered all of those people…..my friends…”

Cara stood with her arms crossed beneath her breasts, just out of the blondes reach. A satisfied smile was present on her face as she watched the blonde struggle to absorb the new information.

“From the beginning?” the blonde continued. “I don't understand. _Why_ would you do this?”

“Isn't it obvious Vanessa? I did it for love…”

Vanessa's mouth hung open. “ _For love_?” she gasped. “Cara….this is not love. You don't kill people for love. You….you ended lives, _young, innocent_ lives. For what? To justify your sick, twisted obsession with my girlfriend? That is not love Cara.” Tears of anger and frustration began to flow again.

Cara laughed at her. “That's where you're wrong blue eyes. True love is going beyond yourself and stretching who you are for someone else. It's trusting someone, having the drive, _the will_ to do anything for that person. If it's necessary, sometimes you have to kill….”

The blonde glared back at her. They hadn't been lying when they said this woman was a complete psychopath. She couldn't have been more wrong earlier in the day. Cara hadn't grown up and moved on. These years had done nothing to mature the jilted woman. No, all they had done was give her time to wallow in her self pitying, unhealthy obsession for a woman she had had a brief relationship with as a teenager. “Cara, you killed innocent people. What good did you possibly think killing young kids would do? Prove how deep your love goes?” She shook her head. “No Cara, that isn’t love. You're sick. You have a serious mental problem. You need professional help…”

The hotel owner laughed once again. “Oh Vanessa, you silly thing, what makes you think it was just me?”

Vanessa looked from Cara to the clown, who still stood just behind the woman. Cara followed her gaze. “Ah yes of course” she turned and brought a hand up to the clowns mask. “He has always been a faithful accomplice of mine, in everything I do” she finished, removing the mask. Vanessa stared open mouthed. She shook her head. “I believe you've met my honourable assistant…” Cara smiled, resting a hand on the man's shoulder.

“Ashley” Vanessa whispered.

“Indeed Miss Woodfield” Ashley Thomas replied, grinning down at the baffled blonde.

“I….this….you killed? You attacked me…” she looked at the floor, embarrassment flushing her cheeks as she remembered last Friday afternoon.

“Actually Miss Woodfield, that was not me…”

The blonde looked up at him, and then to Cara, who shook her head slightly. “No, Vanessa, it wasn’t me either…”

Her mouth tried to form words. She was so confused right now. “I don't understand…”

Patting Ashley on the shoulder, Cara stepped forward again. “Vanessa, if I had been the only one behind this, don't you think that I would have killed you a long time ago?” Vanessa continued to stare at her in confusion. “I almost did…..that time in the toilets at the Crane. I almost had you” she laughed. “Man, was he pissed.”

“Cara, what the hell are you talking about?”

The hotel owner smiled, staring coldly into the blondes eyes. “I'm talking about my husband Vanessa. The man I married out of convenience. The man I later discovered had a true love of his own, just as I did.” Coming a little closer to the blonde, Cara lowered her voice to a whisper. “I'm talking about Ross Barton.”

The blonde stared back at her. Moments felt like hours as her mind tried to grasp at what Cara had just revealed to her. This wasn't true. Ross….the man she went to school with. He would never be any part of this. He couldn't….

“What's the matter blue eyes?” Cara mocked. “Cat got your tongue?”

“You….you're lying…” Vanessa stuttered.

Letting out an amused snort, Cara backed off slightly. “You'll see for yourself. He's on his way. He won't let me have my fun. He told me if I get Charity, he should be allowed to have you.”

The blonde licked her lips, moistening her drying mouth. “Cara, you won't get away with this. Can't you see that?”

“Oh Vanessa, look around you. You're locked in a specially designed sound proof basement that only myself, Ashley and Ross know about. Who do you think will find you?” She amused herself in the defeated expression displayed on the blondes face. “I left a few breadcrumbs anyway.”

“What?”

“I left a _note_ ….from your _abductor_. It'll lead them back home. This hotel is merely just the place you were snatched. As far as they're concerned you could be anywhere.”

Vanessa shook her head. “Don't be so naïve. They're gonna search every inch of the hotel. They'll uncover this place.”

“Really…” Cara answered, “…I'm not worried. I've spent a long time putting this together. I've had years to prepare. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm needed upstairs. There's a certain fit P.E teacher up there that needs consoling.” She moved back towards the blonde. “Oh, don't worry blue eyes, I'll give her everything she needs.” The blonde looked at the floor as Cara pulled back and turned…. “Oh and Vanessa?” 

As the blonde looked up again, Cara's fist collided with her face, sending her sideways against the wall. Clutching at her left cheek with her free hand, Vanessa looked back up at the hotel owner.

“That” Cara started, “is for the convenient trip on the basketball court today.” With that she took one last look at Vanessa and followed Ashley out of the room.

\-------

The hotel was in lock down. Police had arrived an over an hour earlier, taping off all entrances. The media had caught wind of the situation and vans had turned up not long after the authorities.

Inside the hotel, the majority of the reunion guests still remained in the Orchid suite, waiting to be questioned. Gossip spread like wildfire as people were caught up on the whole story surrounding the missing blonde. Some were sceptically surveying the room, wondering whether anyone here had something to do with the kidnapping.

Charity had been taken to a different room, along with Cain, Bernice, Tracy, Chas and Rhona. After initially running through the hotel hysterically, the teacher had been coaxed into the side room by Cain while police arrived and began their investigation. Since then, Charity had sat on a chair in the corner of the room, still clutching the note Rhona had found.

So many scenarios ran through her mind. Was this really the killer from home? Could it be a copy cat? Could someone she went to school with be behind it all? It had been invitation only tonight, but what if the killer had been a guest at the hotel? Their name, presumably a fake one, would be in the register at the main desk. The police had probably taken that by now, compiling a list of everyone currently in the hotel.

“Hey…” Charity felt a hand squeeze her shoulder. Chas had sat down next to her. “How you holding up?”

“How'd you think?” Charity snapped back.

Chas looked at the floor defeated. She wasn't phased by her sisters short temper. In truthfulness, it had been a stupid thing to ask. She knew exactly how Charity was feeling. But what else was she meant to say? Nothing she could possibly say would make her sister feel even slightly better right now.

“Charity” Rhona started. “I don't think Vanessa will be hurt. I mean, from previous notes it sounds like the killer kind of worships her.”

Charity frowned, “Seriously Rhona, after last Friday? He beat the shit out of her face. Do you really think, now he has her all to himself that he won't hurt her? That he won't make her do something that she…” She trailed off, her head shaking off the sickening images running through her mind.

Vanessa would put up a struggle, which in turn would only piss the killer off even more. That said, the blonde had a side to her that Charity hadn't known existed until this weekend. The alpha side that she'd spoken about months before had actually started to make an appearance. Surely, in these circumstances it would awaken that demon even more? Would she even get the opportunity to overpower him? He's managed to take her away from the hotel unseen….unheard. He'd obviously knocked her out, tied her up perhaps. She really had no chance, Where had she been taken? Were they still on the move or maybe they had made it back home? There were just too many questions left unanswered.

“They could be anywhere now…” she said aloud, causing everyone to look over at her. She looked at the clock on the wall.

1:50am

Almost 3 hours since the blonde had last been seen _. 3 hours_ ….

“Charity…” Bernice started.

“NO!” Charity shouted. “I can't do this. I can't sit here and pretend everything's gona be OK…..I just….” she began to sob, her erratic heart making her words come out in raspy intervals. “I just….please, I want her back…” She leaned into Chas's embrace.

“I know Charity, I know” Chas replied, rubbing her hand along her sisters back. “We'll find her love, we will!”

“I said I'd….protect her. With all my life” Charity continued, almost hyperventilating. She took in a deep, throaty breath and extracted herself from Chas's embrace. “I have to do somethin'…” she told them, getting to her feet.

“Charity wait, you have to stay here…' The door opening cut off Cain’s words.

Everyone turned to see Jack Sugden and Ross enter the room. Taking off his hat, Officer Sugden bowed his head slightly at the room’s occupants. “Evening everyone. We got here as soon as we could” he started. Walking further into the room he came up to the teacher. “Miss Dingle, I'm so sorry for the recent events. I can only imagine how you must be feeling. I promise this to you though, we will do _everything_ in our power to return Miss Woodfield to you.”

“I don't want him here…” Charity told him, her eyes narrowing at the officer behind Officer Sugden.

Turning slightly, Jack looked at Ross for a second before returning his gaze to Charity. “Miss Dingle, I understand things between the 2 of you are….well, they’re strained, but officer Barton is one of our best. Along with his….umm, prior history with Miss Woodfield, he is a valuable asset to this investigation.”

Charity snorted sarcastically. “ _Valuable asset_? Oh sure, he'd love to play the hero for Vanessa, wouldn't you Ross? To whisk in like her knight in shining friggin’ armour.”

Ross stepped forward. “Charity, I know you don't want to hear this but I care about Vanessa. I've known her a very long time and as her friend, I want to know that she is safe, just as much as the rest of you do.”

Processing his words, Charity took a few steps towards him. The gap between them becoming dangerously tight. Officer Sugden felt the need for an interjection, so raised an arm, shielding Charity from getting any closer. “You just make sure you remember that Ross. You are her _friend_. That's all. Don't even think about using this as another lame attempt at showing her your feelin’s.”

“Miss Dingle” Jack interrupted, “Ross is a professional, just as I am. Our sole mission here is to return Miss Woodfield to you as quickly as possible. That is all.”

All eyes were on Charity as she scrutinized the young officer a few moments longer. Eventually she looked back at Officer Sugden, her features softening. “Please…..please find her….”

Jack lifted his outstretched arm, placing it on her shoulder. “I assure you Miss Dingle, we will do everything we can. We liaised with the local department on our arrival. If you wouldn't mind I'd like to ask you all a few questions.”

Nodding weakly, Charity turned and headed back to her chair.

“I was told a note was left” Jack asked, looking to the paper still clenched in the teacher's hand. He'd heard she had refused to give it up to local police. “May I..?” When Charity held up the tear stained note, Jack took it, running his eyes over the words. “No matter how far you go, I'll always find you” he read aloud. He glanced at Ross, “This indicates that our serial killer may have followed you.” He looked back at Charity. “Did many people know you were coming here?”

The teacher shrugged. “A few friends I guess. I had nothing to do with the set up” she replied, looking to Cain. The radio DJ couldn't have looked more apologetic if he tried.

“OK” Jack nodded. He handed the note to Ross. “We'll get this sent back home and see if we have a match to the writing from previous notes. Barton, once you've passed that on, head on into the Orchid suite and start taking statements. I'll finish up in here.”

Nodding his compliance, Ross looked back at Charity one last time before turning and leaving the room.

“Right, Miss Dingle” Jack started, taking a pad and paper from his pocket, “Let’s start from your arrival here on Friday….”

\--------

Hard….cold….rock….

That's all that surrounded the blonde. She lay her head back against the wall, exhausted from her many failed attempts at freeing herself from the metal restraint around her wrist.

She'd screamed, as loud as her lungs would allow her, but what had been the point? She was in a sound proof room, or so she had been told at least.

Where was she? Was she still somewhere in the hotel? Did Cara say the basement…? No, she couldn't be in the hotel. Surely that would be too careless. Police would be searching the grounds with a fine tooth comb. Charity would make sure of that.

_Charity_ _…_

Her eyes were closed. Images of her girlfriend, frantically running around the hotel in search of her ran through her mind. The teacher would be hysterical. She felt grateful that their friends were there for her. They would comfort Charity, keep her grounded. Keep her safe…

She wondered if Charity would connect the dots. Would she see through the twisted charade her ex was putting on? Would anyone? It was Cara's hotel she'd been snatched from so surely she'd be on the suspect list?! But what about the note Cara said she had allegedly dumped? Would it really point police in another direction?

One thing she was absolutely certain about was that Charity wouldn't rest until she was found. She'd use every available resource at her disposal to uncover the truth. Her own little reporter. Despite the circumstances, a smile played at her lips. It faded quickly though when Ross’s face entering her mind.

She still couldn't get her head around Cara's confession. Ross….the man she used to know so well a few years earlier, was part of this outrageous plan. He was never a dangerous man. As a teenager he was the sweetest, kindest, law abiding man she had ever met. He'd grown up to be a policeman for crying out loud. If you can't trust a policeman who can you trust?

It was Cara….she'd sank her dysfunctional nails into him. She'd changed him, turned him into a monster. A _killer_ …

She closed her eyes tight, fighting the urge to cry.

 _I will not spill tears for him_ she thought.

How could she have let him manipulate his way into her life again? Almost allow him to jeopardise her relationship with Charity? He was a conniving bastard. She found herself wondering what she would do if and when she saw him. Surely she would see him. Cara had divulged to her that she was being left for him. He wanted her for himself. What exactly did he expect to get from her though? Did he seriously think he could convince her to change who she was? To forget Charity? To forget what he had done to all those people, to her friends…..to _her_?

She obviously hadn't seen the true side to Ross, and she really didn't wish to. She looked at her watch….2:40am. She'd been missing 3 and a half hours now. She imagined the hotel swarming with police. The guest’s sitting around, being questioned, fearing for their own lives. Her friends, her sister….fearing for her life. And Charity…. What was she doing? She longed to be wrapped in her girlfriends protective arms. The tears she'd been fighting began to spill down her cheeks. She turned, putting a cheek against the cold stone wall. “Charity” she sobbed. “I need you. Please find me.”

\------

Charity sat on the couch in the reception area of the hotel. Her eyes were locked on the door to the toilets which had been taped off by police. Her mind prayed for the door to open and Vanessa to rip the tape from its frame and run to her. She replayed the scene over and over again in her head. She pictured herself wrapping her arms around the smaller blonde, lifting her in the air and spinning her around. Vanessa telling her it had all been a misunderstanding. She hadn't been taken. The killer hadn't followed them here. It was all just one, big, _horrible_ misunderstanding.

But even after replaying that, _dozens_ of times now, the blonde didn’t make an appearance. The teacher felt the presence of other's around her. Fatigue plagued them as they talked idly amongst themselves. Not Charity though. She was wide awake. It was after 4am but her body was still on high alert….even though her mind was elsewhere.

“Charity…” She felt Bernice slink an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her slightly. “Officer Sugden and his team have just returned. There's….they've found no other evidence.” Charity heard her, but didn't respond. What was there to say? Vanessa was missing. She'd seemingly vanished into thin air. No one had seen her being dragged away. No one had heard her screaming for help. She must have been knocked out.

She closed her eyes. How could she let this happen again? Just one week ago she'd promised to protect the blonde with her life. Now here they were, in a situation so much more worse than the last attack. Vanessa had been taken. She must be so scared. God knows what would be happening to her. If she was still alive…

That thought set the teacher off once again. As she broke down in tears, Bernice pulled her closer toward her. She whispered soothingly, trying to console her friend. She told her everything would be fine, that Vanessa was strong, she'd fight through this. Shifting her eye's to Priya, she shared a knowing glance with her fellow doctor. They'd seen this kind of situation at the hospital many times. Priya often dealt with victims of kidnap, assault….rape.

No, Bernice told herself. We're not going there. We can't. She'd followed the work of Vanessa Woodfield, like many, from the moment she'd realised who that Never Been Kissed article had been aimed at. It had overjoyed her to hear that her close school friend had found that special someone. Someone who had been willing to sacrifice everything she had to prove her love to Charity.

Then of course Vanessa's work had turned a lot darker. All those murders and all of them linked to the reporter or the teacher. She'd wanted to get in contact with Charity for, well, for _years_ ….but more so after that article. A mixture of residency hours and home life had prevented that however. Time was never your own when you were a doctor in the making.

She felt relieved however that she could be here for her friend when she needed her the most. Jack had asked her some difficult questions a few hours earlier. The blonde had held it together as best she could.

Officer Sugden had been brought up to speed on the tense relationship she shared with Cara and the events of Saturday afternoon. Though she hadn't come out and said it aloud, Charity had left breadcrumbs, hoping it would lead the Officer to look deeper into Cara's background. He seemed to get the hint and nodded his understanding, promising to make sure no stone would be left unturned.

After briefly questioning their friends, Jack had asked Charity what she intended to do over the next few hours. Would she return home or remain at the hotel? She'd been torn, so Jack had left her to ponder what her next move would be. She desperately wanted to return home, part of her feeling that's where Vanessa's abductor would have gone back to…but then the other part of her wanted to remain at the hotel. This is where she had been taken. What if she was still being held somewhere on the grounds? Right under their noses and she just up and left her.

Sitting here now, her mind miles away from her body, she still hadn't made a decision. Finally coming out of her day dream, Charity watched Jack and Cara come out of the hotel owner’s office. They'd been in the room a good 20 minutes now. He must have been questioning her…..asking for a list of hotel guests aswell as reunion guests. She watched as he shook Cara's hand, then turned and walk towards her.

“Miss Dingle. I've done all I can do here for now so now I need to return back home. A few Officers aswell as officer Barton will remain here for the next few hours or so, searching the grounds and surrounding areas. Examining evidence….” he trailed off, looking around Charity's entourage. “Have you made a decision on where you will be staying?”

Charity remained silent, her mind still split.

“If I may…” Charity turned to Cara who walked towards them. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but, you would be more than welcome to stay here while the investigation is underway, free of charge of course…” Charity was still silent, prompting Cara to continue, “Ugh, for all of you. You would all be more than welcome to stay. I completely understand the difficulty of the situation and I'd like to make things easier if I can….” She let her statement hang in the air before nodding and walking back into her office.

“I'll be right back” Bernice said, standing up and walking towards the hotel main doors.

“I'll stay” Tracy spoke. Everyone looked at her. “At least one of us should be here…” 

Charity nodded to her. Tracy had already contacted their parents. They of course had been devastated. After initially stating they were packing and on their way over, Tracy had stopped them, making them realise Vanessa could be anywhere, not necessarily at the hotel and it would be better if they stayed home by the phone.

This is what was pulling Charity to go back home. What if the killer rang the house, demanding a ransom or just to gloat? Her sister seemed to understand the hesitation on Charity's face.

“Charity, you know if you want to stay here, I'll stay at your place, you know….minding the phone….” Chas added.

Charity looked at her. She felt so grateful that her sister had always been able to read her so well. At the same time she didn't want Chas to stay alone, in a house that had already been broken into once by the killer. “Chas, I’d appreciate that, but I don't want you staying there alone.”

“Charity, I'm sure I'd be…”

“Chas” Charity spoke, her voice rising slightly, “I've just lost my girlfriend, I don't want to lose my sister too…”

“Ok, ok” Chas assured her.

“She wouldn't be alone.” Charity looked over at Rhona. “I'll stay with her.” The blonde looked between the photographer and her sister, who in turn looked back at her as if to say - problem solved. She was filled with complete gratitude for having such a tight group of friends and family. It overwhelmed her slightly.

“Now you can stay here with Tracy and help the police with their investigation” Chas told her.

Cracking half a smile, Charity nodded weakly. “Thank you” she whispered. “I don't know what I did to deserve a bunch of friends like you.”

“Well, you've got Vanessa to thank for me” Rhona smiled.

They all fell silent once more until Jack cleared his throat. “Right, well now that's settled, I know where I can contact you.” Putting his hat on he nodded slightly in Charity's direction. “We'll find her Miss Dingle. Keep your faith.”

As Jack turned to leave, Bernice re-entered the lobby. “My god, it's crazy out there. The place is swarming with reporters and cameras.”

“They'll be wanting someone to make a statement…” Rhona replied, walking over to the window.

“There's only one reporter I'd like to talk to right now…” Charity spoke.

Coming to sit at the teacher's side, Bernice patted her knee. “Have you decided where you're going to stay?”

Charity nodded. “I'm gonna stay here a few more days. Chas and Rhona are gonna hang out at my place incase of…..any calls or somethin’.”

“Good. I was hoping you'd say that. I'm all for taking advantage of this hotel a little longer.” When Charity turned to her frowning, Bernice smiled. “I've just spoken to my boss, granted it's the middle of the night, he was grumpy and well, half asleep but I've got a few extra days off.”

“Bernice, I can't…..I can't ask you to take time off from work. These years are important for you, I…”

“Charity, you didn't ask. I want to do this, and not just because I get to stay here for free” she smiled. “I want to be here for _you_. I think we've let too many years slip passed us. It's time to make up for that.”

Tears welling up yet again, Charity looked at her friend gratefully. “Thanks Bernie. Thank you.”

\--------

As Vanessa sat with her legs outstretched in front of her, she tapped her feet together, trying to take her mind off the constant fact that she needed the toilet. Sure there was one right next to her….but she really didn't want to have to use it. Who knew if it would actually flush and even then there was probably a camera in the room. That's how these things went wasn't it? You get kidnapped, locked in a room and then have your every move monitored. Well she really didn't fancy dropping her underwear and giving them a show. Not if she could help it.

For the last few hours she'd been replaying Cara's words in her head. The mere thought that Cara was providing any sort of comfort to her girlfriend was pissing her off almost more than she could handle. Sure they'd had this out the afternoon before, Charity wanted nothing to do with her ex….but circumstances had changed. Charity would be feeling vulnerable right now. Who knows where she'd seek a bit of solace.

This was all she could think about. She'd been fighting sleep, more so because she was afraid of what would happen or who would come in if she was to fall into a deep sleep. With nothing in the room, nothing in her pockets and her bag nowhere in sight, she was so unbelievably bored.

Letting out a sigh her eyes noticed the door sliding open. Her breath caught in her throat as her eye's fell upon the visitor.

Ross tentatively walked into stone walled room, his face seemed drawn and tired. Well, it _was_ the early hours of the morning. There didn't seem to be any sort of satisfaction on his features however. Surely he should be jumping for joy right about now at the fact he'd fulfilled his quest.

As he stepped closer to the sitting blonde, Vanessa put a hand up towards him. “Don't you dare come next to me” she warned.

“Vanessa…”

“No! Ross, what the hell is this? You've kidnapped me! You….you killed all those people.”

“Vanessa, please I can explain..” he tried, taking another step closer to the blonde.

“Explain?” she replied, almost at a shout. “If you want to explain you can do that to the police…..the _real_ police after they arrest you, Ross!”

Bringing a hand up to rub his tired face, Ross sucked in a steadying breath. “Vanessa, please….humour me for you a few minutes, yea?” Seeing the blonde look at him with a look of complete disbelief but offer no words, he continued. “Vanessa. Do you remember when I told you about my wife? How she suffered from those illnesses? Well it’s true….I didn't lie to you. Everything I told you was true except….except the fact that I'm…..we're….”

“Except from the fact that you're still together” the blonde finished for him. “Yea, I'd kind of figured that out Ross! God, I….I don't even know what to say to you. This….this whole situation. I thought Cara being Charity's deranged ex girlfriend was bad enough but now all of this…..” she trailed off shaking her head.

“Vanessa, we married young, just like I said. It started off great, but then her illnesses came to the surface. She changed….she changed so much. I stuck with her though, helped her through it. But then, the love we'd shared, it kind of, I don't know, it just went….and our marriage turned into some sort of convenience. To be honest I wasn't so sure she ever loved me at all…”

“Oh shut up” Vanessa sighed, “I don't care about either of you. All I want is to be let go so I can live my life with the woman I love!”

Ross clenched his jaw, irritation beginning to creep into his veins. Calming himself he looked at her. “That's how she's always spoke to me. I've never really felt loved, by anyone. I was lonely, that's why I've stuck with Cara for so long. After a few years, she inherited this place and all the money that went along with it.” He let out a laugh. “They say money can't buy you happiness, but it made our complex relationship a lot more manageable.”

“Ross, if you were so unhappy why wouldn't you just leave her?”

He shook his head slightly. “I don't know really. There's something about Cara. She has this ability to….I don't know how to describe it. All those years of being with her…..I think it changed me. I guess if you live with crazy, it kind of rubs off on you.”

Vanessa stared at him. Who the hell was this guy standing in front of her? He certainly wasn't the man she went to school with or even the man she'd reacquainted herself with only months before. _Or was it?_ “Are you really that weak Ross?”

The policeman shrugged. “I admit I've always been easily led. I mean, I let you walk all over me in school. I was never man enough to admit my feelings, especially not after you confessed you were….you know, gay.” Silence filled the room for a few moments before he continued. “Anyway, when your article came out, me and Cara discovered something very interesting. The woman who had been my high school crush was now declaring her love publicly, for a woman Cara had, had a relationship with. A woman who she admittedly, was still in love with after all these years.”

Vanessa wanted to say so many things but she kept her mouth shut, allowing Ross to continue.

“Just like you now, we were both pretty shocked, but then she let me in on something she'd been planning for years. When I say years, I mean pretty much after her break up with Charity.” Seeing the blonde's brow crease, Ross nodded. “I know it sounds crazy Vanessa, but Cara paints a very interesting picture. She'd watched Charity from a far for years, even while we were married. She'd watched her live her life, for the most part, alone. She'd been ready to make an organised chance meeting with her when your article came out.” He stopped for a second, taking in a deep breath. “To stay she was pissed would be the understatement of the century.”

Coming slightly closer to the blonde again, Ross sat down, crossing his legs in front of him. “When I told her I knew you and confessed about the feelings I had…. _have_ for you, she came up with an idea. She thought if I were to come back into your life somehow, I would be able to split the 2 of you up. That way, her slow burning plan would be back on the table, and I….well, hopefully I would get to have you.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Vanessa stared at him. “Ross….I, I don't even know what to say. This is just….”

“It was Cara that started the killings..” Ross interrupted. “I was furious, at the start. I told her I didn't wona be part of this anymore. I was a policeman, I couldn't condone what she was doing. She told me it was too late, I was already part of it all. If I told anyone, she'd drag me down with her. So, I did it. I covered up for her.”

“What good could that have possibly done?” Vanessa shouted. “Killing all of those innocent people?”

“She thought it would put a strain on your relationship. The fact that those people were being killed because of you…..because of that article. She said it would ruin you both, but it just seemed to make your relationship stronger.” Getting back up on his feet, he began pacing in front of the blonde. “Then came my….advances on you. I admit, I had more of a say in that. After meeting you again, all those feelings came rushing back.” Halting his pacing briefly he smiled at the blonde. “You've grown more beautiful than I ever remembered.” His eye's trailed down her body, grazing over her bare legs.

Vanessa began to feel uncomfortable, suddenly extremely irritated at the fact all she had on was this knee high dress. “Ross…”

“Please Vanessa, let me finish.” Starting his strides to and from each side of the room, Ross continued his explanation. “I told her your relationship with Charity seemed unbreakable.”

“Ross, I don't want to hear anymore. Nothing you say will justify the things you've done. Just let me go…..you can't keep me here. Charity, she'll figure all of this out!”

Just then, the door came door life and Cara stepped into the dimly lit room. “Well well, isn't this cosy” she smiled. As the door closed, she came up alongside the policeman.

“I'm just filling her in on the blanks” Ross told her.

“I see. Are you finally starting to see where I'm coming from?” she asked, moving closer to the blonde.

Bringing her legs around, Vanessa shifted her position. “The only thing I see is that you're both fucking crazy. This is wrong, everything you've done is wrong. Love has nothing to do with this. Look..” she said, shaking her wrist at the hotel owner. “…you've got me chained to a wall for Christ sake. Ross, if you ever felt anything for me, you'll let me go.”

“It doesn't work like that” Cara replied, not giving Ross a chance to talk. “I'm in charge here. Ross..” she spoke, looking to the policeman, “..she's stubborn right now, but she'll come ‘round. Just like we said, remember? Soon she'll come to depend on you….to love you as you've loved her all of these years.” She smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Patience is a virtue.”

He nodded. “I've waited all these years, I think I can wait a little longer.”

“That's my boy!” Turning back to the blonde, Cara smiled. “Charity's doing fine by the way. I've been….helping her out.”

Vanessa's skin crawled at the hotel owner mentioning her girlfriend’s name. She really wanted nothing more than to lunge forward and smash her fist into this woman's face. “Your pathetic little scheme won’t work on her Cara. She knows how manipulative you are. You proved that to her yourself this afternoon. You're just wasting your time.”

“You better hope that's not true….for your own sake, blue eyes.” She stared down at the blonde a few moments longer before turning to her husband. “Ross, I think it's best you come back upstairs now. We don't want anyone becoming suspicious of your whereabouts.”

Taking one more, almost apologetic look at the blonde, Ross turned and followed Cara out of the room.

As the door shut, Vanessa's eyes lingered on it for a few moments. What the hell had she been dragged into? It was obvious who was pulling the strings here. The question was, why was Ross going along with it? Because Cara had promised him a future with Vanessa? No, that was insane. Ross knew without question that she was gay and had no feelings for him what so ever. She'd told him enough times. How could he even doubt that after everything that he'd done? One thing that she didn't doubt was the fact she was in trouble.

 _Serious trouble_.

Xxxxxxxxxx


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

For the last couple of hours, Charity had been up in her and Vanessa's hotel room. The rest of the night had passed without any new information and now, at 11am she found herself alone. Bernice and Tracy were downstairs, saying goodbye to those that we're heading back home. Why couldn't she and Vanessa be part of that crowd? Why couldn't they have woken up this morning, got changed and headed back to their home? Why did Vanessa have to get taken away from her?

Every time she'd closed her eyes she’d seen the blonde being dragged away, being beaten, being….. She shook herself every time her mind tried to dig too deep. Sure it was easy for her to shake these things off, but what about her girlfriend? It was very much a reality for her right now.

She'd replayed the nights events, before the kidnapping, hoping something would spring to mind, something that stuck out as being mildly suspicious. But there was nothing. They'd been having too much of a good time. They'd danced, she'd sung, they'd drank….it had been a happy affair.

By 4am, everyone in the Orchid suite had been allowed to leave. They'd all been glad to escape the scene of the crime, though they'd passed on their sympathetic words to Charity through Bernice. Selfishly, most had fled from the hotel as soon as possible, not wanting a bigger part in the investigation.

She turned over on her side, pushing away the used tissues which covered her sheet. She felt so numb. How could this happen? Once again she'd let her guard down. Her mind had been distracted with reunions and old friends and Vanessa had been snatched from her. Would this ever end? Would the killer ever be found? Would she ever see Vanessa again? She couldn't bare thinking about never touching the blonde again, looking into her bright blue eyes, watching her nose twitch when she concentrated or she was mad. Feeling those butterflies attack her insides as the blonde melted her with her loving words.

Fresh tears fell, following the path of their predecessors. There was a soft knock at the door. Wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her top, she climbed off the bed. Expecting to see Bernice and Tracy she was momentarily startled at Cara on the other side of the opened door.

“Oh, hi Charity. I hope I'm not disturbing you…”

Her mind completely focused on other things, Charity no longer had the energy to be so abrupt with her ex. She had allowed her to stay here, free of charge, for as long as she wanted. Maybe this was her way of making amends?

_Don't be so damn naïve! She's trying to take advantage of you, hoping_ _Vanessa_ _stays out of the picture, paving the way for herself_ _._

“Umm, no, well….I don't know, I'm just…” Her tears continued to spill over her eyelids. Wiping at them, she lowered her hand just as Cara moved toward her, engulfing her in a loose hug. Charity's body stiffened, her own arms like dead weights at her sides. After a few awkward moments, Cara pulled back.

“Look, Charity, I realise you're in a place right now where you’re really unsure of me, but I didn't do anything wrong. Admittedly, I've been foolish since you got here, but this….I would never have wished this on anyone. I want to help. I want to help you find Vanessa and hope she isn’t hurt. If there's anything I can do to make it easier Charity, I'd do it. Please, believe me.”

Charity looked at her, contemplating the sincerity behind the words. After a few moments she nodded. “I appreciate that Cara and also the gesture of letting me and the guys stay here too. I just wish I knew if she was still around here….or back home.”

Cara nodded. “I understand. Maybe, this kidnapper will contact you at some point….give you a hint to their whereabouts?” Nodding weakly Charity looked at the floor. Taking a step closer. Cara brought her hand up to caress the teachers shoulder. “Can I do anything for you Charity? Can I get you anything? Food perhaps?”

“Not hungry…”

“You have to eat sweetheart. You have to keep yourself strong.” When Charity didn't reply, Cara brought her other hand up, placing it on the teachers other shoulder. “I'll tell you what. I'll send someone up in an hour with a tray of lunch. That way you can pick at whatever you want. That sound good?”

Her gaze remaining on the floor, Charity nodded her reply.

“Ok, I'll leave you to it for now. Remember what I said Charity. Anything I can do for you, please, just ask….” With that she backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

\------

Two days….

Two whole days had passed and still Vanessa found herself chained to a wall in the hotel basement. Of course after the first few hours of being here, time no longer had any meaning. The seconds rolled into minutes, which rolled into hours and now apparently, days had passed. Time was still on her side. That's what they say isn't it? When you're kidnapped, the longer you're alive, the more chance you have at being found?

Well two days had now passed and here she still was, sitting right under their noses. She'd come to the conclusion that the door to her prison must be somehow camouflaged on the other side. Hidden away behind a secret, moving wall. All the best horror movie’s had them…..big castle like buildings with secret passages.

This here was a reason why she hated horror movie’s. The unknown, the suspense…. And here she was now, staring in her own adaptation of one.

She had too much time to think down here. She was scared, nervous, lonely and bored. Sure before she'd met Charity she'd lived alone, she'd enjoyed the solidarity, but this put solidarity at a whole new level. She no longer enjoyed being alone. Infact, she was beginning to dislike it immensely.

She'd had visitors of course. Ashley bringing her food and Cara had been in a couple more times over the last 24 hours. The reason behind the visits it seemed was to piss the blonde off as much as she could, and to Cara's delight, it was working….it was working _very_ well. She'd told Vanessa how she'd been consoling the heartbroken teacher. How Charity had fallen into her embrace. She'd gloated that it wouldn't take long for Charity to completely let her guard down and warm to her. It was all just a matter of time….and persistence on Cara's part.

She'd even brought Vanessa a copy of the paper a few hours ago. That's how the blonde knew for sure how many days had passed. There'd been a front page story of her abduction in the Daily Chance that morning. A picture of herself and Charity had been used. She'd recognised it as one Rhona had taken at the start of the reunion on Saturday night. She'd traced her fingers over the face of her beautiful girlfriend. Her heart ached at the thought of what she'd been going through over the last 2 days.

She'd read the article of one of her colleagues, catching up on what had happened since she'd been taken. She'd learned that it was Charity who had raised the alarm of her disappearance after finding her purse on top of the restroom sinks. She could only imagine how Charity had reacted.

At this rate her girlfriend would start getting a complex about letting Vanessa go into a restroom alone. Nothing good ever seemed to happen…

Reading on she found out what the note Cara had planted had said.

_No matter where you go, I'll find you_ _._

Ok, so that would probably be enough to send them all back home, everyone assuming the killer had merely followed them. Little did they know that this hotel was the root of all their problems, the hell mouth of Cara's delusional plans.

The reporter went on to say there were currently no suspects but the hotel owner had been extremely co-operative in the search for the missing blonde. At that point, Vanessa had slammed her fist against the ground. She was furious that Cara apparently had everyone eating out of the palm of her hand. Conniving bitch. Never in all her life had Vanessa wanted to hurt someone as much as she wanted to hurt Cara Robinson.

Mentally calming herself down, she'd read the final few paragraphs of her colleagues report. Tears had begun streaming down her cheeks as she read the quotes from a statement Charity had given.

_Charity_ _Dingle_ _, the partner of our missing reporter made an emotional statement this morning, appealing for_ _Vanessa_ _'s safe return. ''_ _I cant tell you what_ _our friends and family are going through right now._ _Vanessa_ _is_ _the most_ _positive and loving woman_ _you could ever meet_ _. She does_ _n’_ _t deserve to be going through this hell. No one deserves this._ _Vanessa_ _mean_ _s_ _everything to me_ _and_ _I just cant imagine never seeing her again._ _I miss her. Her friends and family, we_ _all_ _miss you_ _so much_ _Vanessa_ _. I_ _m_ _beg_ _ging_ _anyone that knows anything of her disappearance….._ _Please, please contact someone. Please help return her to_ _us_ _._ _Vanessa_ _, if you can see this, if you're watching, I love you bab_ _e_ _and I'll find you. I promise I'll find you!''_

As she'd finished reading, she'd sobbed out loud. Her fingers retracing the teachers photographed face. “I love you too. I'm right here.”

The last line of the article had told her that Charity was currently staying in the hotel until it, as well as its surrounding area's could officially be ruled out of the investigation. Her heart had skipped a beat. Charity was still in the hotel. She'd looked up at the stone walled ceiling. Somewhere up there, Charity was thinking about her. She looked at her watch….almost 11pm. Would she be in bed now? Would she be sleeping? Probably not.

Suddenly an idea foamed in her mind. An idea that could potentially be her ticket out of here. She nodded to herself. This could work and hopefully with the help of Charity and dare she say, Ross or Bernice….she would be found in the not so distant future.

\-------

“Charity, you've got to eat sweetie…”

Bernice sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the blonde woman who sat by the window. Charity had her knees pressed into her chest, her body curled up almost in the foetal position as she looked absent mindedly out of the window.

Two whole days had passed and they were still at square one. No further evidence had been found, no witnesses had come forward and after regular calls from Chas back home, there hadn't been any word from Vanessa's abductor.

The day before, Charity had given a short but emotional appeal for the news vans, which had camped outside the hotel since the first night. She'd tried to keep it together, tried to stay strong and get her message across, but she'd been unable to keep the tears at bay. Bernice had said it was a good thing to show her emotions. It would make her statement tug at people’s heart strings. It would make them take more notice of the pain this abduction was causing.

Part of her had felt like an idiot for breaking down on National television. For letting her emotions run wild, but then, the most part of her didn't really care. She'd do anything to get Vanessa back. Absolutely anything. There'd been many phone calls coming in for her, from back home. Colleagues of both herself and Vanessa wanting to pass on their love and support. Bernice and Tracy had dealt with them all. Charity just couldn't face the sympathetic tones in people’s voices. She was finding it difficult enough to keep herself composed.

Bernice had been great, to both Charity and Tracy, who was of course, just as broken as Charity was. The redhead had consoled them, given statements when herself or Tracy had been too upset to do so. And like now, she'd lecture her about eating. Telling her she couldn't let herself waste away.

Glancing over at the redhead, she lay her head sideways on her knees. “I'm not hungry right now” she replied quietly.

Bernice pursed her lips slightly. “You said that to me at teatime aswell, Charity. All you've eaten today is a few spoonfuls of rice pudding at lunchtime. You need to eat sweetie. Starving yourself won’t do you any good.”

“I just….I don't think I can keep anything down.”

“That's the nerves in your stomach. Just have a few mouthfuls of this soup. It’s nice and warm. It'll make those nerves a little more tolerable. Trust me, I'm a doctor” she winked.

Puffing out a burst of air through her nose, Charity managed a small smile. Reluctantly stretching her body from its position, she got to her feet and joined Bernice on the bed. Picking up the spoon she scooped it through the soup, blowing on it for a second before moving it inside her mouth.

“That's my girl” Bernice smiled.

After a few mouthfuls, Charity had to admit, it felt good to have something warm inside her.

“I passed Cara on the way up” Bernice started. “She was asking how you were doing.” Charity continued to eat her soup, seemingly not interested in what the redhead was saying. “She said she didn't know whether to come up and see you or not.”

Looking at the redhead, Charity cocked her head. “What did you tell her?”

“I said you weren't really up for any visitors.”

Smiling with a nod, the teacher looked down at her soup again. “Thanks, Bernie.”

“You know….she seems genuinely sorry for everything…”

“I still don't trust her.”

“I understand. She's probably hoping Vanessa stays missing….more opportunity for her.”

“Never gonna happen Bernice. Even if Vanessa….” she stopped herself, unable to say those words out loud. “It doesn't matter. We'll find Vanessa, and when we do, none of this will matter. I'll take her away. Go into hiding for the rest of our lives if we have to. I'd do anything to keep her safe again.”

Bernice watched Charity through sympathetic eyes. “You love her so much. I know, from seeing the 2 of you together this weekend that she feels exactly the same.”

Charity nodded, her eyes looking at the soup but her mind was filled with images of her girlfriend. “She's the one Bernice. She's my Liam Cavanaugh. I have to get her back. I can't even imagine what life without her would be like.” Tears once again began to well in her eyes. “I know we've only been together….what, 9 months or somethin’, but I want to be with her, always. I want to marry her. I want to have babies with her. I want to experience everything with her as we grow old together.” She stopped for a few moments, taking a few steadying breaths. “It's kind of like our whole relationships been in the news from the very start. It feels _weird_ ….having random people stop and say hello to you. It's pretty surreal.”

“The price of fame I guess..” Bernice nodded.

“Yea, I guess.” Putting down her spoon, Charity leant back against the headboard. “I just…..I have this feeling it's all my fault. If I hadn't over reacted when that bogus article came out. If I hadn't been the catalyst for Vanessa's response, this might never have started.”

“Charity, do you seriously believe that? Vanessa was undercover. She was gonna write a story anyway. She'd of gotten the front page no matter what. This is all just….extremely unfortunate.”

“But what if her story hadn't been as big of a hit?” Charity continued. “What if it hadn't got all the advertising it did? Not every newspaper article is read out on the radio. I mean, I can see it now. All those homophobic idiots out there, fed up of hearing about some love sick dyke, begging for her would be girlfriend to come back to her. It’s enough to make any hateful person act out against it in protest. Maybe that was the killers incentive….he was…”

“Charity” Bernice interrupted, “Have you heard yourself? You're justifying the doings of a sick, evil murderer. Sweetie please, I know it’s hard but you have to take a breath and think about this. This is _not_ your fault. It's not Vanessa's fault. Her story was a hit and it would have been no matter what it contained. Unfortunately this world isn't all rainbows and relationships. There are people out there who just want to cause controversy. You're proof of that right now.”

“I'm just trying to understand Bernice…”

“I know you are Charity, but it’s not going to happen. No one can understand what could possibly possess a person to take another's life….never mind several…” Shuffling up the bed, she drew the blonde into an embrace. “This bastard’s got you saying _dyke_. You always hated that word in school.”

Pulling out of the redheads hold, Charity looked at her. “I still don’t like it. Sorry, I just needed to vent.”

“I understand Charity, I really do. You're going through so much.” Climbing up the bed, Bernice settled herself against the other side of the headboard. They stayed in silence for a few minutes, both lost in thought.

“I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air for a bit…”

“That's a good idea, you've been in here all day. You want some company?”

Charity shook her head. “No, it’s OK, just wona get lost in my own thoughts for a bit.”

“Ok, I'm right here if you need me.”

Nodding Charity got off the bed and headed to the door.

\------

As her vivid dream began to slip away, Vanessa's eyes fluttered open. It took a few seconds to realise it, but her heart jumped at the sight of Ross sitting down near the door to the room….watching her.

“Sorry…..didn't mean to scare you” he said quietly. “You looked so peaceful and I know you probably haven’t had much sleep recently.”

“And whose fault is that Ross?” she spat back, though her voice was still laced with sleep. “Why are you still here anyway?”

Playing with the seam of his trouser leg, he laid his head back on the wall. “Jack wants me to work from here for a couple more days. I thought it was a good idea. It could give us a chance to….you know, talk…?” He stood up and began walking closer to the blonde.

The blonde shook her head immediately. “I've got nothing left to say to you Ross.”

“Work with me here Vanessa” he asked, crouching down in front of her. “You don't wona get Bernice mad.”

Frowning, Vanessa let out a frustrated sigh. “What is it she has over you Ross? Why are you being such a fucking lap dog? You're a pathetic, weak...”

Before Ross realised what he was doing he'd lifted his hand and slapped it hard across Vanessa's cheek. His face softened instantly as Vanessa turned back toward him, cupping her cheek. “Vanessa….I'm sorry, you….you pushed me…”

“You hit me Ross….you hit me _again_ _._ Just like last week. You broke into my home and, you hit me.” Though she didn't want to, she felt herself begin to sob. “Over and over again. I begged you to stop.”

Ross gulped. “You weren't meant to be home.”

“What kind of excuse is that? You shouldn't have been there! Listen to yourself Ross!!”

“Vanessa, it's not that simple.” He stood up again, turning his back on her as he walked to the other side of the room. “I've got my conscious telling me one thing, Cara telling me another while beating the shit out….” he stopped, looking back at the blonde. “I mean, it's just not that simple.”

Taking her hand from her tingling cheek she frowned at him. “Cara beats you? Am I meant to feel sorry for you now? Seriously Ross, you're a grown man and in all honesty you deserve it. You're a monster. You've changed so much that I don't even…..I don't recognise you.”

“You don't know how hard it's been. I've been with Cara a long time. I confessed to you, that night we went out drinking, she hits me. She's been doing that for years. She's made me feel useless….pathetic. Just a shell of who I was. I've just taken it, for years, I've taken it. I didn't have anything else.” He slowly walked back towards the blonde. “Most people think it’s just a woman that suffers, but it's not true. When your story came out, she changed. Finding out that I could actually be useful, she stopped beating me. I began to slowly feel respected again, like I did at the very start of our marriage.”

Vanessa watched a smile play at his lips briefly.

“When she devised that plan to break you and Charity up, she promised me when she had Charity, I would have you. I'd be free. So you kind of became my light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.” He began to walk back to the other side of the room. “I'd transferred to the station near to you a couple months before Cara killed those 2 kids. It gave me a chance to get settled in before we would meet. I swear, I didn't know she'd planned to murder anyone. You have to believe me Vanessa.” He looked back at her, receiving nothing but a cold stare. “But it happened. I was torn, but I stuck with her. I covered up for her.”

“And what about Kim?”

“I….it was me that killed Kim. I was in the area that night, she stopped to talk to me. I didn't plan on killing her, not at first, but she started talking about you. She talked about having to play nice even though it was eating her up inside. She said she blamed you for her cousins death. She wanted to get back at you somehow. I guess something inside me snapped and I just kind of….lost it.”

Vanessa shook her head. “ _Killing_ Ross, it's not the answer. I would never want anyone to do that for me. I'd never want anyone's life sacrificed for me. It's not the kind of person I am.”

“I hated it Vanessa, I can't begin to tell you how I felt after I killed her. Cara said she was uplifted. She'd felt a surge of exhilaration when she murdered those kids, but I didn't feel it.” He cast his eyes to the floor. “Anyway, a few weeks passed, Cara got bored, nothing was happening, so she followed you to the club. I knew nothing about it. She went there with the intention of hurting you somehow. She wanted to scare you. When you escaped and Charity caught up with her she panicked. She didn't want to hurt Charity, hence the small gash to the stomach.”

The blonde was almost panting. Hearing the explanation behind the attacks was doing nothing good for her anger. “Who killed Mandy?”

“That was Cara again. She'd followed you to the fun fair with the intention of hurting Cain. Someone almost as close to Charity as you are, but when she snuck behind the scenes of that ghost ride, that young girl, Mandy, she was alone at the back of the ride. That seemed an easier bet so…..so she killed her.”

Vanessa closed her eyes as she remembered the sight of Mandy's lifeless body. It had all been a tragic set of circumstances. That poor girl…. “And Paddy?” she asked, opening her eyes once more.

The policeman looked to the ground. “That was….that was me. I…..I was driving the car for Cara that night. When she returned to me, the clown disguise removed, she realised the mask was missing. She wanted to leave it but I knew we couldn't. There was too much evidence on it. So I went in search of it. That's when I saw Paddy. He'd noticed the mask. He'd picked it up and threw it in his van. I, I didn't have a choice Vanessa. Please, I was scared.”

“There's always a choice Ross. Always, and you chose to play the coward.”

“I got sucked into this game. I've been such a pushover.”

“Game? Is that what you think this is? A game? The taking of young, innocent lives is a game to you?” She couldn't believe it. Her heart began to pound again as he neared her.

“All I wanted was a chance at happiness. I've never been properly happy, but with you….I think I could be. Can't you see it…..we'd be good together. In time, we'd have money. We'd be happy. You could have anything you wanted and _in time_ …..you could begin to love me, like I love you.” He brought his hand up to caress her cheek, his eyes shining with tears.

She looked back at him with pitiful eyes. “How could I ever love someone as pathetic and weak as you” she replied. This was her chance. Lifting her own hand she sank her nails forcefully into the side of his face, scraping them down his cheek.

Ross winced, falling back on to his arse. When he brought a hand up to feel his cheek he realised he was bleeding. “You fucking bitch” he shouted. Moving forward he punched her hard across the cheek. Her head ricocheted off the stone wall behind her. She gasped as pain pounded inside her skull. Her hand flew up to grasp at her head. She rubbed the already growing lump that appeared. Squinting, she looked at the policeman who had now gotten to his feet.

“You shouldn't have done that” he told her as he moved towards the door. “You really shouldn't have done that.” Pressing the code into the keypad, the door slid open and he walked out without looking back.

\------

At the back of the hotel, the teacher sat on one of the patio chairs looking idly at the ground. She'd originally went out the front entrance but after several camera flashes started capturing her picture, she quickly rushed back in. Making her way down halls and through rooms she'd never entered before that night, she'd finally found some patio doors which led out to the back of the hotel where she’d spent the last couple of hours, lost in her thoughts.

Her gaze lifted, scanning the basketball court. For some reason, basketball courts always calmed her. It felt like she was safe there. Maybe it had something to do with the outcome of her girlfriend’s article months earlier? That pinnacle moment when they literally sealed their love with a kiss on centre court.

Lifting her arm, Charity looked at her watch. 1:25am. Sighing, she dropped her arm back to her stomach and gazed up at the stars. It had been 3 days since she'd slept. Friday night had been the last time her eyes had closed for more than 30 minutes consecutively. Even then she'd only gotten a lousy 4 or so hours.

Her mind replayed what Rhona had called her and Vanessa's _acrobatic love making_ on Friday night. She closed her eyes, losing herself in memories. Remembering how it felt to touch Vanessa's smooth skin…..to kiss her soft lips…..to taste her unique scent, to feel the blonde writhe and moan beneath her touch. Her heart ached to be with her again just as her body craved for her touch.

This had been the longest time they'd spent apart since that first, public kiss on the basketball court, almost 7 months earlier. It might not have been so bad if it was due to something work related. Like that night she'd went away for the school conference. Even that had been too long, but at least eachother’s whereabouts had been known. They both knew their separation was merely temporary. This was something totally different. She didn't know where Vanessa was…..how long she would be gone….whether she'd ever see her again….

“Shut up” she said aloud.

She had to stop thinking like that. Problem was, how could she stop herself? If it was the clown faced killer that had snatched her away, it only seemed inevitable that her girlfriend would come to the same, gut wrenchingly shocking end as those before her. What was to say it hadn't happened already? Maybe now it as just a case of finding her lifeless body.

“Oh for God sake” she said frustratingly. Lifting herself from her chair, she turned and moved back towards the hotel. Walking through the vacant hallways she made her way towards the lobby. Just as she rounded a corner she haltered her footsteps, quickly back pedalling so she was shielded in the shadows. She watched as Ross exited a door further down the hall.

 _What's that on his face?_ she thought, catching sight of the blood which stained his left cheek.

As he shut the door and scanned the area, he began moving swiftly down the hallway, luckily the opposite way to where Charity was hiding. Once he'd made his way around the corner, Charity emerged from the shadows.

What had Ross been doing around here at this time of the night? Moving towards the door the policeman had just exited, Charity grasped the handle. It was unlocked. Peering around the opened door, she was met with a flight of descending stairs, which seemed to lead into a cellar.

_Maybe a wine cellar?_

Curiously, she moved forward into the dimly lit space, closing the door behind her. As she began walking down the steps, she felt slightly apprehensive. What would be down here that would occupy the policeman's attention in the ear;y hours of the morning? Making it to the bottom she took in the sight before her. It was just as she suspected, a wine cellar. Moving toward the stacks of alcohol, she gazed at the generous amounts of bottles.

Sweeping the area from left to right, she found nothing else. So what had Ross been doing down here? He hadn't carried out any bottles when she saw him. And what was with the red stain on his cheek? If she was honest with herself it looked like… _blood_ _._

Something wasn't right here. She could feel that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Ross was up to something. Question was…..what exactly was he doing?

She had to tell someone, Officer Sugden perhaps. Tell him to question Ross. Would that do any good though? As far as Jack Sugden was concerned, Ross was ' _'one of the best…..an asset to the investigation…'_ ' It was obvious Officer Sugden didn't know Ross Barton like she did.

Hang on a second….

Could it be that Ross was actually the man responsible for Vanessa's disappearance? Her heart began to thump harder as her mind tried to piece together the reasons behind Ross’s actions. No, that was insane. Ross would never hurt Vanessa. He was, as he had admitted, in love with the blonde. But what if, through all that rejection, something in him snapped. He wanted to get back at Vanessa…..at Charity. Would he really stoop that low?

Then there was this letter from the killer, or at least, supposedly from the killer. It indicated he had taken the reporter, or was that just Ross’s way of leading the police on a wild goose chase? What if…..what if Ross was the killer…?

She shook her head _. No, that's definitely crazy_ she thought. _He's a policeman, if nothing else he was a friend of_ _Vanessa_ _'s. There's no way he's a killer_ _._

She felt so confused. Bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose she thought about her next move. She thought about whether to speak to Officer Sugden, or perhaps confront Ross herself. She stood there for a few moments until eventually, mind made up, she began moving toward the stairs. It was probably best not to tip Ross off.

Making it to the top of the stairs, she opened the door, poking her head out. Happy to see the coast clear, she quickly exited the wine cellar and made her way towards the lobby. She had to speak to Bernice and Tracy. She had an idea…..but without their help, god knows what would happen.

\------


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter  18

A knock sounded at Charity's hotel room door. Bernice glanced at Tracy before moving across the room. Sharing a silent nod with the other woman, the redhead inhaled a lung full of air and opened the door. Cara stood on the other side, a bright smile plastered on her face.

“Morning Bernice, just checking in….”

“Oh right, everything is fine here. Well, as fine as can be really…” Bernice replied.

Cara nodded. “Ofcourse. Is Charity here? I thought maybe she could get out of the room for a bit, come get some breakfast downstairs perhaps…?”

Bernice had been waiting for this, “Umm, well that would have been good but you just missed her. She wanted to get away for a while, from the hotel…”

Cara's smile faltered. “She….she's gone?” she asked, unable to mask her disappointment.

“Yea, she thought she'd pop home, check in on things you know….”

“Yea….I….” Bernice stumbled over what to say before mentally slapping herself. “Ofcourse, I completely understand. Will she…..is she coming back?”

The redhead nodded, “Yea, I think so. Not sure when though.”

The hotel owner nodded, her mind trying to process the redheads words. This hadn't been part of the plan. Charity was meant to stay at the hotel. What if she ended up staying at home? How was she meant to win her back if she wasn’t here? Maybe she should turn up on Charity's doorstep. Prove herself to her former gilfriend…

“Umm, Cara, its alright for Tracy and I to still be here, isn't it?” Bernice asked, misreading the silence that came from Cara's internal battle.

“Hmm, oh yea…..I mean of course its fine for you to both be here. Stay as long as you want. I'm sure Charity will be back soon” the hotel owner replied with a forced smile.

“Yea…” Bernice watched as Cara looked to the floor, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. “Well, we're just gonna get changed then we'll be down for breakfast.”

Looking back at the redhead, Cara nodded her understanding. “Great, I'll see you down there then.” With that she turned on her heel and strode down the corridor.

Closing the door, Bernice headed back in to the room. “You know, I know Charity has another theory but I'm getting a vibe off our host there.”

“You reckon she bought the story?” Tracy asked.

“Seemed to.”

Standing up, Tracy moved towards the bathroom. “Let's just hope we hear from Charity soon then…

\------

Stretching her cramped muscles, Charity yawned silently in the darkness. For over 7 hours now, she'd been sat on the concrete floor in the corner of the wine cellar. Leaning her head back against the wall, she fought with her mind to stay alert. She couldn't afford to give in to the growing need for sleep. _Not now!_

Unzipping her bag, she retrieved the bottled water. Unscrewing the cap, she took a long swig. Probably not the best idea. That water would be looking for a way out in due course and with no toilets down here, the only way of getting relief would be to move from her current position. Something that for right now, wasn't an option.

After making it back to her room last night, or should that be the early hours of this morning, she'd brought Bernice and Tracy up to speed on what she'd seen on her way back up. Like she’d been, they wondered what Ross could have possibly been doing down in that wine cellar so late. Especially when he emerged bottle-less and looking dubious.Then there was, what Charity had thought, blood on his face. They agreed it looked suspicious.

Tracy had quipped that there may have been some sort of secret passageway that Cara had told him about. Bernice had laughed, telling her that was such a cliché for a building like this. Charity however didn't think it was quite so funny. What if there _was_ some sort of secret passageway down in that cellar? What if that's where the killer had dragged Vanessa to when she was snatched from the toilets?

Though she admitted it sounded pretty far-fetched, she felt she needed to investigate further into the seemingly ordinary cellar. Determinedly, she told Bernice and Tracy she was going back to the cellar to examine the walls….see if anything moved or even just looked mildly suspicious. If nothing looked out of place, she'd stay down there for a while, hidden behind the stacks of wine racks, waiting to see if Ross returned.

Bernice had been reluctant to let her go, especially alone. If, by some small chance Ross did return and found out she'd stumbled on something she perhaps wasn't meant to see, who's to say Ross wouldn't hurt her in some way? It was a chance Charity was prepared to take.

Realising she wasn't going to change the blonde's mind, Bernice lectured her like a mother giving guidance to a child. She’d packed a shoulder bag for the teacher to take with her. Seeing as they didn't know how long she would be down there, they'd packed a couple bottles of water from the mini bar aswell as a sandwich untouched from the evening before.

The redhead had also gone into her handbag and retrieved a mace spray. After receiving raised eyebrows from both Charity and Tracy, Bernice had shrugged. “What?” she'd asked, “When you look this hot you've got to protect yourself against potential threats.”

If only Vanessa had done that. If only Charity had made sure she had done that. Who could have known a closed school reunion party would bring the threat of kidnap though?

“Vanessa babe, where are you?” she whispered into the dark cellar. “I miss you.”

She looked at her watch for the millionth time. Just after 10am. How long would she have to stay here in hopes of catching Ross once again? A small part of her wondered if she was just wasting time. It could have all been very innocent. Maybe Ross just couldn't sleep. Maybe he'd decided to do some moonlight investigating, looking through every nook and cranny of the hotel to find the blonde. It was certainly plausible.

She began to feel like an idiot, wasting time sitting in the corner of a dark wine cellar when she could be upstairs actually doing something to find her girlfriend. Pulling out her mobile, she began typing a message to Tracy….

_Still here, am I stupid for doing this? I feel like I'm wasting time…_

Her fingers ceased typing as she heard the door at the top of the stairs suddenly click open. Shuffling to her feet, she silently glided closer to one of the wine racks. She heard footsteps walking quickly down the steps. Her heart began to thump as she peered through the cracks in the rack that shielded her. She saw a shadow against the wall but couldn't see the figure. Her mouth had ran dry. What should she do? Should she make herself known? Should she stay hidden? What would happen if she….

Her eyes widened as they caught sight of the new presence in the cellar.

Cara….

 _Shit_ she thought.

Would she be in trouble for being down here? She _was_ kind of trespassing. She doubted guests would be allowed down here. Though really, their history made it so Charity wasn't just some random guest in Cara's hotel. Her internal battle did nothing to steady her nerves, nor did the fact that Cara was striding towards her.

Cara was closing the gap while Charity's body stood frozen on the spot. Luckily however, that spot was still shaded in the shadows. Still Cara moved closer….the teachers heart was pounding in her ears, the beats making a frantic rhythm with the sound of footsteps. As Charity sucked in a silent breath, Cara turned into the aisle just before Charity's. Her ex was so close to her now. If she'd wanted to reach through the dividing rack, she'd of been just about able to place her hand on her ex's shoulder.

Still holding in her breath, Charity watched as Cara lifted a bottle of wine from its place in the rack, revealing a black box. Opening the cover, a lit up keypad came into view. Charity watched as a 5 number code was punched into the pad. No sooner was the last button pressed, the sound of movement to the blondes right caused her head to quickly turn. She barely held onto a gasp as she watched a wall which just hours ago she'd deemed normal, suddenly move off to the right, revealing a concealed metal door.

The teacher’s mouth lay open and she almost forgot Cara was there until her eyes caught her ex moving toward the new piece of décor. As Cara reached the door, she pressed a button to the right of it. As the metal door slid open, the hotel owner stepped beyond the frame before it closed behind her.

Straining her neck, Charity had tried to see what lay beyond the door…..beyond Cara's form, but the door had been opened and closed too quickly for her to see anything more than stone walls.

What should she do now? Her mind was reeling at what she'd just witnessed. Tracy had been right, this place _did_ have a secret passage. In fact, there were probably more than just this one. What was behind it? Had Cara told the police about it? Ofcourse she had. Ross had been down here last night. Now it all made sense…..at least, it kind of did. Maybe this was being used as a private headquarters for the investigation. Although, why did it need to be so private? Surely Cara’s office was more than sufficient?!

And what was with Ross’s face last night? What had happened to him?

_Maybe he fell?_

She rolled her eyes at her own thought. There was obviously a rational explanation for all this. There were probably old family possessions back there, hence the super concealed door. Curiosity was getting the better of her though. She wanted to know exactly what was behind that door…..but how should she go about it?

Should she step out of the shadows, press the button and go in? Probably not the best idea. Plus, she really didn’t feel like being confronted by Cara right now. Maybe it would be better to go upstairs and let Tracy and Bernice know what she'd learned? She looked at her mobile, still grasped within her hand. She erased the previously typed out message and began typing another when the newly revealed door began to slide open yet again.

Swiftly moving back into the shadows, she vaguely saw Cara exit the room and move back toward the wine rack near hers. The hotel owner looked pissed…..like, _really_ pissed.

Charity held her breath yet again as the door slid back into place. It dawned on her that getting caught sneaking around the wine cellar by her ex was something she definitely didn't want to experience. Especially when she looked this pissed.

With a frustrated sigh, Cara snapped the lid shut over the keypad, put the wine bottle back into place and stalked back towards the stairs. It was only when Charity heard the door close at the top of the stairs that she let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes glanced over at the fake wall. It looked so real.

Putting her phone back in her pocket, she moved from her spot in the shadows. Walking over to the wall, she lifted her hand, running it over the stone. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she'd never of believed it was moveable. She had to go tell Tracy and Bernice. Moving back to her bag she picked it up and began walking towards the stairs. At the bottom, she hesitated. Something was pulling her back. Not physically….but she felt as though something was almost tugging her back. Her hand gripping the banister, she turned her head, gazing back at the stone wall.

Curiosity hounded her. She'd seen the code needed to reveal the door. All she had to do was walk over there, type it in and then she could satisfy her musings. But what if Cara came back? What if she went into the room and found herself locked inside until someone came back? She'd be like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

She turned back, peering at the door at the top of the stairs. Could she take a little peak? A 5 second glance at where Ross had been the night before? Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath. Releasing it slowly, she nodded. Letting go of the banister she turned, walking back to the rack that concealed the keypad. Removing the wine bottle she opened the case. Tapping in the code with a shaking finger, her heart skipped a beat as the wall began to move.

Anticipation began to overwhelm her body. Walking cautiously to the newly revealed door she stopped just short of it, her eye's trailing to the button that would remove the barrier between herself and this mysterious passage. Lifting her hand she hesitated, but only for a second. Pushing it forward, she pressed the button and within seconds the door began to slide open.

Nothing could have prepared her for what her eyes immediately landed on. Her breath caught in her throat. It felt like wave after wave was crashing into her chest, sucking the very life out of her. There, sitting with her back to the teacher was the woman everyone had been looking for, for days. She was still rooted to the spot….her limbs momentarily frozen.

“Cara for the last time, I'm not interested so will you just…..”

As Vanessa turned and her eyes landed on the figure at the door, her words trailed off. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was a dream…..a beautiful, beautiful dream. It had to be.

They both stared at each other for a few moments, the shock of seeing one another momentarily paralysing them….

“Ch-charity?”

It came out as a mere whisper, but it was loud enough for the hold on Charity to break and she almost flew into the room. Within seconds she'd dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the smaller blonde. That was when the sobbing began.

Vanessa buried her face into the taller woman’s neck, tightening her grip around the teacher as though her life depended on it. Pulling back slightly, Charity brought a hand up to the blondes face as she captured her lips in a series of frantic kisses.

“Charity…” Vanessa cried. “You found me….”

“I found you, babe” the teacher told her, tears streaming from her own eyes. “I'll always find you.” They kissed again, melting into the feel of the other's soft touches. They stayed like that for a few moments until eventually Charity realised Vanessa's wrist was engulfed in a metal restraint. “God Vanessa, what…” she lifted the chain, attempting, just as the blonde had, to pull the restraint out of the wall, “…what's goin’ on?”

Wiping her tears, Vanessa shook her head, a small laugh escaping her lips. “You are _never_ gona believe this…” She looked into Charity's green eyes. Bringing a hand up she stroked her fingers over her cheek. “I cant tell you how much I missed you. I….I was beginning to think I'd be down here forever!”

“I got you now 'Ness, you're safe.” She took the blondes hand from her cheek, kissing the palm several times. Bringing it to her lap she gazed back at the blonde. “Babe, last night I saw Ross comin’ out the door that leads down here. He looked a bit….well, a bit dodgy. I saw somethin’ on his cheek.”

A smile appeared on the blondes face. “I knew you'd see it. I knew you'd figure it out” she replied enthusiastically.

The sight of Vanessa's grin made Charity's heart flutter. She'd missed seeing that more than she realised. “What did you do?”

“Well, when I read this…” she started, grabbing yesterday’s paper, “…it told me you we're still in the hotel. I thought, if I did something to Ross, like scratch his face, you would notice and then hopefully…..connect the dots….”

The teacher nodded. “I had this weird feelin’. When I came down here last night after seein’ him come out, I was confused. It's a wine cellar” she said, cocking her head towards the door. “When he came out and I saw what looked like blood on his cheek, I had my suspicions. I was out there for a bit last night. It all looked so real….the wall. It just looks and feels like a normal, unmovable brick wall.” She looked at the blondes hands encased in her own. “I can't believe I was so close to you…..and even this morning. I've been out there since 3 and then…” her head shot up. “Cara! Oh my god! She came in here….she knows you're here” she began to rant. “And….Ross? Ness, what the fuck is goin’ on?”

The smaller blonde nodded. “It's a lot to take in all in one go Charity. In a nut shell….there's been 2 people, well 3 if you include Ashley Thomas” she input. Charity's head recoiled, her mouth opening even wider. “I know…” Vanessa told her. “…It's crazy. They're all crazy. It was Ashley that snatched me from the loo’s on Saturday.” She looked down at her hands as Charity began stroking her arms. “As far as I know that's all the input he's really had, but Cara and Ross…..they're married.” She nodded in response to Charity's flabbergasted glance. “They're the ones responsible for all those murders. For the attacks on you and me and…. _everything_ clown related. It was all them, _the whole time!_ ”

Charity sat in complete shock. She'd had her doubts about both Ross and Cara…..but sitting here, finding out they'd actually been behind the malicious murders. It just completely floored her. It was the work of monsters. _Cold blooded_ monsters. What could have possibly possessed them to carry out such awful acts? “Why?” she asked.

Vanessa shrugged. “Honestly, I think Cara has an illness. She's obsessed with you, Charity. Like, boil your bunny, kill your girlfriend kind of obsessed. I vaguely remember reading an article, years ago about a woman that suffered from some sort of obsessive love disorder or something. It drove her to do some crazy things to prove her love to this guy.” She lowered her head, “And Ross…..” she shook her head. “I don't know what Ross’s problem is. I can tell it’s very much Cara pulling the strings here, but Ross is complying with it. I can't understand why though.”

They sat in silence for a few moments until Charity began to laugh. As the blonde raised an eyebrow, Charity shook her head. “This is….this is just….” she waved her hands around in the air. “There aren't actually any words to describe it, babe.”

“I know. I found this out almost 3 days ago now and I'm still trying to process it and believe me, I've had _alot_ of time to process it.”

Charity looked apologetically at her girlfriend. “I'm sorry it took me so long. I'm sorry that even though you were right under our noses, I couldn't find you.” She looked down at the floor. “I'm….I'm sorry for bringing Cara into our lives…..”

“Hey” the reporter interrupted. “Look at me. This is not something that you need to be sorry for Charity. There's a lot I've missed out of that nutshell that needs to be told, but right now all I want to do is get out of this damn room.”

“Yea…” Charity turned, looking at the door. “Oh, shit. You need a code to get back out….”

“25416” Vanessa spoke. Charity looked back at her. “After watching Cara, Ross and Ashley type it in several times, it's kind of been imprinted into memory. I guess they didn't feel the need to cover it up coz….” she lifted her arm, “…chains and all.”

Charity nodded understandingly. “How do we get these off then?”

“I don't know. I guess Ross or Cara has the key.” Vanessa responded.

Charity thought for a second. How could she possibly find the key without either the policeman or the hotel owner seeing her? Truth be told, what she really wanted to do right now was go in search of said people and tear them apart with her bare hands. Firstly though, she had to tell someone….or everyone! Pulling out her phone she clicked out of the 2nd unsent message and scrolled down her phone book to Tracy's number. Clicking the green button she was met with a few beeps. “Damn” she scolded. “No signal.” Standing up she moved to the door. “I had a signal out here….” She turned, walking back up to the blonde. Bending down she brought her lips to the blondes. “I'm just gonna ring Tracy, let her know what's going on. I'll be right back, I promise.” 

'”You better otherwise I'll have to break out these mad ninja skills.”

Smiling Charity headed back to the door. Entering the number, Charity watched as the door slid open. Stepping out into the cellar she turned back to the blonde. “I'm right out here.” The door began to close, blocking out the sight of her girlfriend. Looking back at her phone she pressed the green button once again. The dial tone on the other side rang several times until finally Tracy answered. “Tracy, it's me. Listen we need to be quick. I've found Vanessa. I know, yea, she's been right under our noses this whole time…..she's OK. You we're right, there's a door behind a wall here in the cellar. There's a box behind a bottle of Château Lafitte….its on the 2nd last rack to the right as you come down the stairs….the codes 85746. Yea, write it down” she said as she repeated the number once more. “Tracy, it was Cara and Ross all along. No, I know…. Tracy, you have to ring the police right now. Get Officer Sugden….yea. Hurry Tracy, just incase she comes back. I'm staying here with her.” 

She turned, pressing the button at the side of the door. Her eyes locked on her girlfriends and she smiled. “I'll tell her Tracy. Ok, see you soon.” Hanging up she was about to walk back into the stone walled room when movement to her left caught her attention. Turning her head she was just in time to see Ross thrust something across the side of her head. As pain exploded around her, the last thing she heard was Vanessa's piercing scream.

\-------


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I left you all on a bit of a cliff hanger there. Time to find out what happened to our girls. Thanks for reading :)

Chapter  19

“This is all your fault Ross. Everything is ruined…. _.everything_! So much planning and within only a few days, all that careful preparation's been ruined. How did this happen?”

Ross gripped the steering wheel of the car, his foot pushing down slightly harder on the accelerator as they flew down a country lane. He tried to ignore the constant verbal abuse coming from the occupant of the seat next to him, but she was making that almost impossible.

They'd been found out. The room which had held the kidnapped reporter had been uncovered, by the girlfriend no less. From what Ross had heard of the phone call, Tracy had been told everything. Where Vanessa was, who was to blame… _.everything!_

How Charity had managed to not only figure out Vanessa was still at the hotel, but also find the room and use the correct code, he had no idea. Had she been following him? Following Cara? She was meant to have gone back home. Clearly that had been a cover up and she'd been doing some sleuthing of her own.

He cursed himself for arriving at the cellar just too late. If only Cara had found him 5 minutes sooner, told him Charity had left 5 minutes sooner, he could have been down in the cellar and stopped that call from ever being made. Charity could have been held in that room too. Instead, all he'd been able to do was hit the teacher over the side of the head and drag her into the room. He'd glanced at the frantic blonde who'd gotten to her feet, trying desperately to reach the slumped body of her girlfriend.

He'd wanted to untie Vanessa….drag her away with him, but the police were going to be on their way within minutes. He'd had to make a run for it. There was no way he could have risked dragging the blonde through the hotel. Even if she'd been knocked out, someone was bound to have seen them. So instead, he'd taken one last look at the woman he loved and fled from the room, calling Cara to tell her it was over…..they had to make their escape now.

There'd always been a chance this would happen, though they'd hoped it wouldn't resort to fleeing town. They had more than enough money stashed away in Cara's office safe. Making it to the car, they'd fled from the hotel, swerving into a side street briefly as a chain of police cars came bombing towards them.

Now here they were, over an hour into their journey and Cara was still having a go. “For the last time Cara, this is not my fault” he replied coldly. “I haven't got a fucking clue how Charity found the room.”

The hotel owner let out a frustrated growl. They sat in silence for a few moments, both thinking about what the hell they we're going to do now.

“We should never have started this…” Ross said with a shake of his head.

“Oh Ross, you know what, don't even bother with the regrets now. It's done. Now we have to figure out what the fuck we're going to do!”

“Well for a start we're going to have to move away…. _far away._ Go into fucking hiding for the rest of our lives” Ross replied.

Cara nodded. “Maybe for a little while, but I'm not done yet.”

He took his eyes off the road, furrowing his eyebrows at his wife. “Excuse me?”

“I'm not done yet Ross.”

“Oh Cara wake up for Christ sake. It's _over._ We've been found out. I'm through with all this shit. I never had a fucking chance with Vanessa anyway” he continued, hitting his palm off the steering wheel. “Why did I ever let you talk me into this? You're a fucking crazy bitch Cara and I'm sick of….wh….Cara what the….” 

As Cara pulled a gun out from the glove compartment, she cocked the safety off and pointed it at the policeman's head. “If that's really how you feel Ross…..pull over!”

Ross swallowed the lump in his throat. 'C….Cara….what, hang on a second…”

“Pull over Ross” she repeated, poking the gun into his temple.

Easing his foot off the accelerator, the policeman did as he was told. Eventually coming to a stop, he pulled on the handbrake. Not daring to move his head, his eye's looked towards Cara. “Please…..I'm sorry sweetheart, I just...everything's gone wrong, I'm venting….”

“Get out Ross.”

His heart was pounding in his chest. Lifting his shaking hand he grasped the door handle. Opening the door he pushed it further with his elbow. Slowly he turned his body, lifting himself out of the seat. Walking a few steps towards the trees, he turned, looking back at his wife who still had the gun pointed toward him. He held up his hands. “Cara, please don't leave me here. We….we're a team. I'll shut up. I'll do whatever you want.”

Taking off her seatbelt, Cara lifted herself into the driver’s seat. Shutting the door she looked back out of the open window. “I don't need you anymore Ross. You're just holding me back now.”

“Cara….do you know what it's like for a policeman to go to prison? Please, don't do this.”

She cocked her head to the side, looking genuinely at her husband. “You know, you're right. I owe you more than that. You've been a decent enough husband. I can't let you suffer like that.” Lifting her hand she positioned the gun. “Goodbye Ross.”

A fraction of a second. That's all the time Ross had to register that Cara had pulled the trigger. As the bullet exploded out of the pistols shaft, it glided swiftly through the air. A perfect aim, right between Ross’s tear filled eyes.

As his body collapsed to the ground, Cara's eye's scanned over his lifeless form a few seconds longer before she started the engine and sped away.

\-------

“I think she's waking up. Charity, sweetie, can you hear me?”

The first thought Charity had as her mind focused on her surroundings was that her head felt as though it was about to explode. Cautiously, she began to open her eyes. As she blinked, her tongue poked out, moistening her dry lips.

“That's it sweetie, you're OK, you're in the hospital.”

The teacher’s eye's focused on Bernice at the right of her bedside. Opening her mouth she whispered. “Vanessa….”

“She's fine Charity” came Tracy's voice at her left. “The police have taken her into a different room to get a statement. She didn't want to leave you but it was important they heard everything as quickly as possible.”

Her head felt so heavy. What exactly had happened to her? As she closed her eyes she felt a hand on her arm. “Stay awake Charity” Tracy told her. “…you've been out over 2 hours now.”

Forcing her eyes open she looked at her girlfriend’s sister. “Ross….and Cara.”

When Tracy looked at Bernice, the teacher knew straight away that they had escaped. They'd fled the scene of the crime.

“We're not sure Charity” Bernice started. “There are a few witnesses saying they saw both officer Barton and Cara getting into a car and flying out of the garage around the side of the hotel.”

“They'd disappeared by the time the police got here.” Tracy added.

The teacher sighed. _Still,_ it continued. Would this nightmare ever be over? Would she ever be able to live her life with Vanessa without having to look over her shoulder? Obviously not anytime soon. “This is never gona end” she said quietly.

“Hey, it's gona be fine, Charity…..they've been found out” Tracy told her. “That's advantage to us now. They can only go so far before someone spots them. They've sent photos around all the airports, train stations and docks.”

“They _won’t_ get away. It's almost over sweetie….it's almost over!”

Taking her mind off the 2 homicidal runaways, Charity thought about Vanessa. She was safe now. She'd found her. That's all that really mattered to her right now. The door opened and the object of her thoughts came into view. A wide smile immediately grew on her face as Vanessa noticed she was awake.

“Charity…” the blonde breathed. As she reached Charity's beside she dipped her head, placing a series of soft kisses all over the teachers face. Neither noticed Tracy or Bernice leave the room.

“Is this real?” Charity asked. “Have I really got you back?”

Laughing slightly the smaller blonde wiped a few tears from her cheek. “It's real, I'm here babe. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” She brought her hand up and gripped the blondes. “I'm never letting you out of my sight again.”

Smiling, Vanessa kissed the teachers knuckles. “I can live with that.” She lowered her head, placing it on Charity's shoulder. “What a weekend.”

“You can say that again.” After a few moments of silence, Charity was keen to know what was going on. “So, what's happenin’?”

Pulling back, the reporter contemplated what to tell her girlfriend. “Do you know Cara and Ross got away?” Charity nodded slightly. “Yea, well….I've just finished giving my statement. If it's alright with you I'd prefer not to go over it again just yet” she finished, looking almost pleadingly at her girlfriend. “How about we see if I can get you discharged, then once we're home, I'll tell you everything.”

There was a knock at the door before it opened, revealing an anxious looking Bernice. She came into the room, looking between the pair at the bed.

“There's been a development…” the redhead started. “They've found Ross….” she trailed off, seeing a slight look of relief on Vanessa's face.

“What about Cara?” Charity asked.

“Well, that's the thing. They found Ross's body…..at the side of the road. A bullet between his eyes.”

The room fell silent. This wasn't exactly what either of them had been expecting to hear. Charity looked at the blonde who had her eyes closed. What was Vanessa feeling right now? Happy, relieved, angry, upset….? She couldn't read anything from the blank expression covering her face. “Ness” she whispered.

The blonde opened her eyes, glancing at the questioning blonde. “One down…” she replied.

Charity nodded. She didn't know what to say. Part of her was ecstatic. That bastard got what he deserved. His life had been taken, as cold, quick and easy as his victims. But then, where was the justice in that? Where was the justice for the crimes he had committed? He should have been made to suffer. If she'd gotten her hands on him she would have seen to it his life was a living hell. She'd of hurt him in ways a person had never been harmed before….and she'd of made it last an excruciatingly long period of time. He'd gotten off way too lightly.

“Cara obviously felt he'd served his purpose” Vanessa said.

“How do you mean?”

Looking into her girlfriend’s eyes, Vanessa shook her head. “There's a lot I need to tell you. This isn't over though, Charity.” She played with the teacher’s hand. “Ross wasn't the real threat. It was Cara. She's the real danger…..and she's still out there.”

\------

“I mean it guys, you need _anything_ ….call me. No matter what time of the day or night.”

“I promise Rhona” Vanessa replied gratefully. “Thank you, for everything….” She leaned in, pulling the photographer into a tight embrace.

Coming out of the blondes hold, Rhona squeezed Vanessa's shoulder. “It's what friends are for, and believe me, you have plenty.” Moving to the door she opened it, stepping over the threshold. As she turned back to the blonde she cocked her head to the handle. “You make sure this is locked.”

“You can count on it” Vanessa told her.

Waving her friend off, the reporter nodded to a man in a car, parked at the bottom of the drive before closing and locking the door. With an exhausted sigh she turned and walked back over to the couch. She let herself sink into the outstretched arms of her girlfriend who was spread out on the cushions. As she buried her face in the crook of Charity's neck, a content sigh escaped the teacher's mouth. “You know…” Vanessa started, “….not even 24 hours ago, I thought I'd never be able to do this again.” Her lips brushed against the soft skin in front of them.

Charity responded by tightening her hold on the blondes body. Her right hand rubbed softly over her back. “You're not the only one” she replied.

Vanessa heard the slight whimper laced in the teachers words. Lifting her head she saw a stray tear spill over the taller woman's right eyelid. She moved her hand, brushing the tear away with her thumb. “Hey, no tears” she told her, lowering her lips to gently press them against the other woman’s. “How's your head” she asked.

“Heavy, and a little sore” Charity replied, seeing Vanessa's face twist with concern, she added “…but nothing I can't handle!”

Vanessa's fingers traced over the teacher's face, stroking her cheeks and nose…..much like she had done with the picture in the paper the day before. Finally, after using all of her powers of persuasion, aswell as some help from Jack Sugden, Vanessa had been able to go against doctor’s orders and bring Charity home. The hospital understood the circumstances, but had felt it would have been safer for Charity to remain in their care for at least 24 hours after her head trauma.

Both Charity and Vanessa had proved too stubborn to stay and after Jack Sugden explained he would see to it himself that Charity was monitored, the doctor in charge had no other option but to release the teacher.

Since being brought up to speed on the whole situation, including the demise of an officer he had thought very highly of, Jack had been extremely apologetic to the two women. He had arranged to have their belongings collected from the hotel, aswell as drive them back home himself.

After an emotional goodbye to Bernice, the girls departed, Tracy driving Charity's car back home. During the journey, Charity and Vanessa had fallen asleep in the back of the car, their arms wrapped firmly around one another. Making it home, Chas, Rhona and Cain had greeted them enthusiastically at the front door. They'd stayed briefly, understanding the couple's need to reconnect alone.

So here they were, alone at last, looking into each other’s eyes sharing silent words of love and thankfulness.

“I love you” Charity breathed, almost inaudibly. “I love you so much, babe.”

Vanessa smiled and nodded. “I know you do. That's what kept me goin’ in that room. I knew you'd find me.” Her gaze lowered as she thought back on her time in her imprisonment.

Charity brought her own hand up, stroking it over the blonde’s cheek. “There was a brief moment when I thought I'd lost you forever. I couldn't see past the fact that every other case had ended in….murder. I didn't know what I was gona do. I just…I don’t think I can live without you.” 

Feeling herself tear up, the blonde decided a topic change was needed. She knew they had to talk about this. There were still details of the ordeal she needed to tell Charity, but right now that could wait. For 3 days their lives had been turned inside out and upside down. What they needed now was a break. “You know what, I know this is far from over but for right now you don't have to worry Charity. I'm right here, we're together. I think a nice hot bubble bath with your girlfriend would do us both the world of good. What do you say?”

Smiling back at the blonde, Charity simply nodded, allowing herself to be pulled up from the couch.

\-------

A couple hours later Charity stood looking at herself in the mirror while she brushed her teeth. Evidence of her sleepless nights lay in dark circles beneath her eyes. An image of the person behind her sleepless nights invaded her mind. _Cara_ _…_

Her hand began moving more swiftly as her toothbrush worked furiously inside her mouth. Even after being enlightened by Vanessa earlier, she still couldn't get her head around her ex's ridiculous conspiracy. It didn't make sense. She'd had a brief relationship with the woman when she was 16 years old. How and why did Cara get so attached to her? Why had she become so obsessed?

An involuntary shiver ran up the blonde's spine as she thought about Cara following her every move for the last 10 years.

_10 years…_

She shook her head. What the hell would her life have been like if she'd stayed with her? If she'd allowed Cara to monopolise all of her time. To tell her who she could or couldn't see and to control absolutely everything she did. Just as it seems she had done with Ross. The policeman. The man she had never really been fond of, even from the first meeting. She wanted to feel sorry for him. It seemed obvious he had been manipulated by Cara for years. She'd twisted him into a pathetic, conniving, spineless murderer. Obviously he hadn't been as strong a person as Charity herself was at 16.

Though it was unfair that he got off too easy, not paying for the crimes he committed, Charity felt a sense of vengeance. Having ended the lives of others, he deserved the same fate. Now she and Vanessa were free from him ever trying to come between them again. The problem was….he wasn't their only problem.

The real threat was still out there. The person pulling all the strings in this timely plan was still at large. She could be anywhere right now. Making her way across the world, or even just outside their front door. The house was guarded though. There'd been at least 1 policeman assigned to sit and stakeout their home for the foreseeable future.

 _Policemen…_ she thought, letting out a snort.

She'd lost all faith in the law. One bent copper had already been uncovered, who's to say there wouldn't be more?

“Your teeth must be real dirty” came Vanessa's voice from beyond the bathroom door.

Leaning her head over the sink, Charity spat out the foamy toothpaste before replying. “It's the first proper clean they've had in days, babe” she shouted back, rinsing the brush under the tap. Cupping a handful of water she brought it to her mouth, gargling away the remaining toothpaste residue. Happy enough her mouth was once again clean and fresh, she headed back into the bedroom, switching off the light as she left.

The reporter lay on her side facing the approaching woman. Propped up on her left arm, she used her right to pull back the cover for Charity to slip in beside her. As the teacher settled herself, she looked to Vanessa who leaned in, capturing her lips briefly.

“Mmmm” the blonde breathed. “Minty.”

Charity smiled. “I'm finally starting to fell human again. The last few days, I've just felt like…..well, a zombie really.” She held the blondes hand which lay on her stomach. “It's nothing compared how you must have felt though…”

Removing her hand from the teacher's, Vanessa stroked it upwards, finally stopping above the teacher’s heart. She allowed herself to get lost in the green pools gazing back at her. A yawn crept up on her. She tried to stifle it, causing Charity to laugh at the face she pulled.

“I think it's time we got some sleep for the first time in 3 days. Officer Sugden's coming around mid-morning so we've gotta be up.”

Defeated, the smaller blonde nodded. “Ok.” She flopped her head onto her pillow. “Charity?”

“Yea, babe?” 

“Will you cuddle me in?”

With a smile the taller woman lifted her arm, slipping it beneath the reporter’s body. “Try stop me…”

Holding on to one another, it wasn't long before they slipped into a content and peaceful sleep for the first time in days.

\------

Chapter  20

The next morning, Vanessa awoke to an empty bed. Blinking the sleep out of her tired eyes she looked at the clock. 09:26. She'd had a good ten and a bit hours sleep, but needless to say, there was still plenty more to catch up on. Pushing the cover off her body, she got out of bed, stretched and made her way out of the bedroom. Making it to the kitchen she stopped in the doorway, a smile playing at her lips as she watched her girlfriend cook something at the hob. The radio was on and Charity, already changed with her hair in a ponytail, hummed quietly along to it. Taking a few more moments to enjoy the view, the smaller blonde moved into the room.

Reaching the teacher, she slipped her arms around her hips. Lifting herself onto her tip toes she placed a kiss on the exposed neck before her.

Charity turned her head flashing a wide smile. “Mornin’, babe.” Turning in the blondes arms she dipped her head, capturing her lips.

Vanessa moaned into the kiss. “Morning.” She lay her head on Charity's chest as they swayed slightly from side to side. “How long you been up?”

“Since just before 9. Thought we could both do with a nice big brekky.”

Looking around the teacher's body, Vanessa's eyes landed on an omelette simmering in the frying pan. “Mmm, I like your thinking. I was brought food but I was too scared to eat it” she confessed. “I thought maybe they'd laced it with somethin’.”

Charity nodded. “Sensible girl, arent ya? I promise though, this is drug free” she smiled, bumping her hips forward into the blondes. “Go sit down, it's just about ready.”

Leaving the embrace after a quick peck on the lips, the smaller blonde moved over to the table, sinking into one of the chairs. Charity turned, concentrating once again on the omelette. “How you feeling this morning?”

After a long yawn, Vanessa responded, “Ok I guess. I kind of feel like I'm living in a dream. It's like, _is this real?_ Did last weekend really happen? It just sounds so….. _crazy._ _”_ The teacher turned around and nodded as Vaness went on. “It's the kind of thing you read about in a fiction book or even see in a movie. It feels so surreal actually living it.”

“I know. 24 hours ago I was sat in a dark cellar, coaxing myself in to staying awake while you were sat chained up on the other side of a moving wall. You can’t write this stuff…”

“Well actually” Vanessa frowned, “I may have to. Everyone will probably be expecting me to write some sort of inside scoop on what it was like being abducted by a serial killer.”

Charity grimaced. At that moment, she hated the blonde’s job. Vanessa was right, there would be many out there, including Eric Pollard who would expect the blonde to produce a front page phenomenon. It could wait. She'd make sure her girlfriend wasn't pressured into reliving the last few days sooner than was necessary.

Lifting the pan from the stove, she shook the omelette onto a plate. Turning, she walked over to the table, placing it in front of the spaced blonde. “Hey..” she told her. “You don't need to be thinkin’ about that just now. We've been back home for less than a day. We don't know all the facts yet. You've been through so much…..not just these last few days, but for the last few _months_.” She brought her hand up, running it soothing up and down the blonde's arm. “You found out your old high school best friend is a murderer….that my ex girlfriend is…..well, she's….”

“A raving lunatic?” Vanessa input before lifting a fork full of omelette to her mouth.

“Exactly” Charity nodded. “If you want to do a story you'll do one, but not right now. People will respect your need for some normality for a while. There's no need for you to rush back to work. Infact, you know what, I'm forbidding you from returning.”

Swallowing the mouth full of omelette Vanessa smiled back at the teacher. “Ok, _Miss_ _Dingle_ _._ _”_

Cocking her head slightly, Charity raised an eyebrow. “I mean it Ness. I'm gona look after you. I'm gona make sure no one pressures you to do something you're not ready to do, or make you go somewhere you don't want to go.”

Vanessa looked at the teacher thoughtfully. She saw the seriousness spread over Charity's face, but that wasn't all. Her green eyes looked almost pleadingly back at her. She saw worry. She saw regret. Setting her knife and fork down, she turned in her chair. Patting her knee she gave a _come hither_ nod of her head. “Come sit for a second…”

Doing as she was told, Charity moved forward, putting her legs either side of the blondes thighs and lowered herself so she was straddling the smaller woman. She brought her arms up to circle around her neck as Vanessa brought her own hands up to cup the teachers face. “Charity, you need to listen to what I say now. Everything that's happened this weekend and even before this weekend is not in _anyway_ your fault. You, aswell as I have been victims of a terrible grudge, cooked up by some very sick human beings. We had no control over their actions. It's not your fault Cara couldn't get over you, just like it's not my fault Ross couldn't get over the feelings he had for me. There's nothing you could have done to prevent Saturday night from happening.”

“I could have said no to going to that stupid reunion.”

Vanessa shook her head. “I think it's obvious that if it hadn't happened at the reunion, it would have happened somewhere else. They'd been planning it a long time babe.” She rubbed her hand over the teacher's cheek. “If you think about it, it could have been so much worse. I could have been down in that room for weeks…..or even _months_ _._ I could have been beaten, well, a lot more than the few bumps I got going here” she smiled, pointing to her head. “If Cara had gotten her way, I would have been killed a long time ago and yet, here I am….back home with you.” Her arms linked around Charity’s waist. She squeezed her girlfriend closer into her own body. “Ross has been killed and…..Cara is still out there but it's only a matter of time before she's found. With any luck, that will be sooner rather than later and no one else is harmed. Maybe then you and I can actually have a relationship that doesn't include looking over our shoulders every 5 minutes.”

“I'd really like that” Charity smiled.

Vanessa grinned back, nodding her head eagerly. “Id really like that too” she agreed.

Leaning down Charity pressed her lips firmly onto her girlfriends. A few moments later she felt Vanessa's tongue graze along her top lip, seeking entry to which she eagerly complied. That familiar tingling sensation began to stir in her lower stomach. She'd missed this feeling so much. They'd always had a very sexually healthy relationship and these last 3 days apart had made her body yearn for this feeling to return.

Vanessa's body mimicked the teachers down to the last flutter. She'd missed Charity's touch, her taste and her gentle caresses more than she could ever describe. All she could do was pour everything she was feeling into this kiss.

After a few minutes, Charity pulled back, more to catch her breath than anything else. “You have no idea how much I hate saying this but we should stop. Sugden could be here at anytime.”

“I know” the blonde nodded. “I've missed you so much though.”

Charity moved her hands to cup the blondes face. “Me too. There's a lot to get through today. You know the guys will come around this afternoon but tonight…. _.tonight_ will be just about us. OK?”

Running her hands up and down Charity's toned thighs, Vanessa nodded. “I can't wait.”

\------

It was almost midday when Jack Sugden turned up at their front door. He entered their home looking very tired and _very_ subdued. Like the afternoon before he was extremely apologetic for the lapse in judgement regarding his late colleague. Though Charity and Vanessa agreed he had been rather quick to jump to Ross's defence, the depth of officer Barton's problems had fooled every last one of them.

Offering the Officer a drink, Charity indicated for him to sit in the arm chair before she moved to the kitchen.

“I've just come back from a meeting with several Officers, aswell as a few medical professionals” Jack told Vanessa. “Ross's autopsy has returned and though his CoD was obvious, it's been confirmed the gunshot to the forehead was fatal. Death was instantaneous.”

The blonde nodded at him, giving herself time to contemplate her response. “I'm not sure how I feel to be honest…”

“It's understandable, Miss Woodfield. He's caused you and your family so much turmoil over the last several months.”

“He's got off too easy…” Vanessa continued. “And I'm mad at him. I'm mad that he committed all these….these monstrous acts and he goes and get's shot dead. It's just…..it's not justice.”

Jack nodded. “I completely agree with you. It's extremely unfortunate.”

Charity re-entered the room, a glass of orange juice in her hand. After handing it to Jack, she joined the blonde on the couch. Placing her hand on Vanessa's knee, she gave it a comforting squeeze and listening to what Jack had to say.

“I was just telling Miss Woodfield, I've come straight from a meeting. We were joined by a psychologist. After divulging her on some notes from your statement Miss Woodfield, she had some interesting points.” He took a gulp of his drink before placing it on the table beside his chair. “Have the 2 of you ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome?”

After a few moments thought, Vanessa nodded. “I've heard of it but I'm not exactly sure what it is…”

“Same here” Charity nodded.

“Right, well from your statement, it sounded rather like Ross’s relationship was an abusive one. Would you agree?”

The blonde thought back on what Ross had told her on several occasions. He'd admitted she hit him, and usually quite often. She put him down, ordered him around. She'd seen herself how quick he was to agree with her. It seemed like it had been routine, like it had been going on for years. She looked at Jack. “Yes, I think that assumption is right.”

“Ok, we've pulled up past medical records for Ross which for some reason had been sealed before. They're pretty colourful to say the least.” Picking up the file he'd brought in with him, he began flicking through pages. “Over the last 6 or 7 years, he's been admitted to hospital quite often with a string of injuries, such as broken ribs, severe bruising, fractured cheek bones, broken wrist….that kind of thing.”

“If he was being seen with these types of injuries and quite often, why had no one pulled him on it?” Vanessa questioned.

“According to the records the injuries had been put down as work related accidents. Arrests gone bad.”

“Surely his superiors would have been notified” Charity put in. “I mean, if one of their policemen was being regularly admitted to hospital with these types of injuries, they'd have to be told.”

Jack shook his head. “I honestly couldn't tell you Miss Dingle. It was all during his time at his previous station. Since he came to work with us, there have been no injuries inflicted upon him.”

“No, that's because he's been inflicting them upon other's” Charity spoke harshly.

Jack nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. As I said earlier, the psychologist indicated that it seemed Ross and Cara's relationship was almost like a captor/captive type of relationship. Cara being the captor. As from your statement Miss Woodfield, you said Ross had felt trapped, he did as he was told. The psychologist believes that if this is true, Cara appears to have stripped him of all forms of his independence. It may have been a gradual process, from the very start of their relationship. So gradual, that he just went along with it. It will have started out with small things of course. Such as having the last say on things they do, places they go, that kind of thing. Then of course the commands would get bigger and bigger….”

“He was a grown man though. Why would he just go along with it?” Charity asked.

“I take it you have never been in an abusive relationship before Miss Dingle?”

Charity shook her head. “No, fortunately I haven't but for a man to just sit back and take verbal and physical abuse from someone. He was a policeman for God sake, he should have known better.” Vanessa moved her had to rest on the teacher's, hoping to calm her a little.

“Miss Dingle, I know you’re angry, you have every right to be but no one can truly understand what goes on inside an abused persons head. Given time and opportunity, an abuser can completely take over your life. If you're not a confident person, if you're convinced you love someone enough to forgive them their faults, you just let things slide. The psychologist believes Ross had been living with this for so long that over the last few years, he just went along with it….probably believing he deserved everything she did to him.”

As Charity sat listening to Officer Sugden, her mind drifted away. The similarities between what Cara was like with her and how her relationship with Ross had turned out were uncanny. Cara, at the age of 16 had tried to control her. She's always put it down to being Cara's first real relationship. She hadn't learned how to behave fairly within a relationship. Charity had always been a physically and mentally strong woman though. She'd had a good home life, a good group of friends and she was always very confident. Realising early on that Cara wasn't the type of woman she wanted to be associated with, she'd ended it.

Right now, she was thanking her lucky stars she had done. What would have happened if she'd stayed with her ex? Would she have ended up like Ross? A weak, pathetic shell of who she really was? It didn't bare thinking about. It somehow seemed easy for her to think that though. She'd managed to escape Cara's possessive grip, Ross hadn't been so lucky. How different would he have been if he hadn't met the hotel owner? If he'd never been, as Jack said, stripped of his independence and turned into a murderer. He'd been a good guy at some point in his life.

“You had a relationship with her, didn't you Miss Dingle?” Jack asked, bringing Charity from her internal ramblings.

“Yea, well, a long time ago. It was in high school and didn’t last long.”

Jack brought his hand up to his face, rubbing the heel of his palm into his tired eye socket. “From what Miss Woodfield told us, it seemed Ms Robinson hadn't been able to forget about you.”

When Charity remained silent, Vanessa smiled, rubbing her hand over the teacher's knee. “Well, Charity is a pretty unforgettable woman.” Their eyes met, blue eyes twinkling with silent messages of love.

Charity nodded before looking back at the Officer. “I had no idea Cara’d been watching me for the last 10 years. When our relationship….when _I ended_ the relationship….” she corrected, “…as far as I was concerned that was it. She was persistent for a bit afterwards, but eventually she gave up. School ended and we went our separate ways anyway. I've never actually thought about her again….until she sauntered into the dinner hall on Friday night.”

Again Jack nodded. “It seems you've had yourself a stalker for the best part of 10 years then Miss Dingle. Referring back to the meeting this morning, it's hard to diagnose without having met her, but it seems Ms Robinson could be suffering from an illness herself. I understand it all sounds quite far fetched but the behaviour that's been exhibited by her bares a distinct likeness to the symptoms of a person with obsessive love disorder.”

The girls were silent for a few moments before looking at one another. “I realise the title sounds quite self-explanatory, but what exactly is that?” Charity asked.

“Well, we only spoke of it briefly this morning, you may want to research it yourself, online perhaps. But it's thought that the disorder can first occur during childhood. Miss Dingle you knew Miss Robinson in School, do you know much about her home life?”

“It was a long time ago…” Charity started. “I rarely saw her parents. I know they'd split when Cara was a baby. She lived with her mum who….” she looked at Vanessa then back to Jack. “Her mother drank…. _a lot_. I think she was the kind of woman who went out most nights, bringing a different guy home each time.”

“No doubt leaving Ms Robinson alone a lot of the time” Jack interrupted. “This is how obsessive love disorder can start. A child is dependent on their parents or care givers right? So often children will cry as a means to make contact with them. If those cries are ignored often enough, a child can withdraw into their own little fantasies, cut off from the outside world to try and calm and soothe themselves.”

“Oh come on” Charity sighed loudly. “Are you telling me, because Cara was possibly ignored as a child, she grew up to be a raving lunatic? Don't be bloody ridiculous.”

“Charity…” Vanessa started, feeling they should listen to what Jack had to say. “I know it's our prerogative to hate Cara right now. I mean, she kidnapped me for crying out loud, but this kind of makes sense. I've heard about this sort of thing before” she continued, looking to Jack. “When I was locked in that room and she was talking to me, I _knew_ she had a problem.”

Charity laughed slightly. “Ofcourse she has a problem, she's murdered several innocent people and kidnapped you with god knows what intentions.” She looked back at Jack. “I won't sit here and listen to you try to justify her actions by telling me she has a problem she can't control.”

Jack realised this may be a good time to leave. The teacher was getting more and more worked up with every bit of information he passed on. “I'm not trying to justify her actions Miss Dingle, I'm merely trying to look at her reasons behind the actions. People aren't born killers.”

Charity shook her head. Right now she didn't really care what caused Cara to turn crazy. All she wanted was for her to be caught and this nightmare to be over for good. If Cara's face happened to meet up with Charity's fist along the way then so be it.

“I think I'll leave it there for today. I understand this is an open wound for you right now. I just want to keep you updated as much as possible.”

“Thanks Officer Sugden, we appreciate it” Vanessa replied, shifting her eyes briefly at Charity.

As Jack and Vanessa stood up, Charity sighed, getting to her own feet. “Look, I'm sorry to be so arsey with you, alright” she said, coming up in front of the Officer. “It's just….it's been a stressful few days. Finding out the truth behind the events of the last few months….it just hasn't quite sunk in yet and I'm just tryin’ to control the anger I'm feelin’ towards Cara and Ross.”

Giving a sympathetic smile, Jack extended his hand to the teacher. “Its completely understandable Miss Dingle, there's no need for apologies.”

She grasped the offered hand, smiling at his understanding. “I'd be grateful if you'd keep us up to date, yea?”

“Ofcourse.” Dropping his hand he moved to the door. “Miss Woodfield, take care of yourself.”

The smaller blonde nodded. “Thanks, we'll be taking care of each other.”

“I'm glad you have one another at a time like this. Your friends are clearly reliable too. Never the less my men will be stationed outside until Ms Robinson is located.”

“Thank you Officer.”

Tipping the rim of his hat, Jack opened and closed the door behind him.

“Too much?” Charity asked, looking to the approaching blonde.

Shaking her head Vanessa snaked her arms around the teacher's waist. “Not at all. Like he said, this is all still so fresh. We're allowed to be angry, no….we _need_ to be angry.” Reaching up she captured the teacher’s lips.

Charity threaded her fingers through blonde locks, pulling Vanessa closer. After a couple of minutes, they separated. “How about we head into town…” the teacher started. “I want to make you dinner tonight but there's not much in.”

“Sounds good. Should I ring the guys, let them know we're heading out for an hour or so?”

“Probably a good idea. You know they're bound to show up while we're out. Then start panickin’ when we don't answer.” Charity moved towards the kitchen. As she got to the door she stopped, turning back to the blonde who it seemed was lost in deep thought. “Ness?” The reporter looked up, her face etched with worry. “What's wrong?” Charity continued, moving back into the room.

Looking at the front door, then back at her girlfriend, Vanessa opened her mouth. “I guess…..I guess I'm just a little anxious. I mean, my face…..our faces have been all over the news for the last few days. Do you think we're going to be hounded by people?”

It would be a lie for Charity to say this thought hadn't been plaguing her this morning. It was bound to happen. She'd seen it happen to other's countless times. Vanessa and herself we're in the middle of this huge story right now. Seriously, it was _everywhere!_ Everyone knew them. When Vanessa's article came out over 8 months ago, they'd been followed for a while. Tabloid reporters eager to follow up on the story between 2 lover’s that had gripped the nation.

This was rather different though. It wasn't a fairytale of love and forgiveness. It was a nightmare story, filled with murder, upset and fear. People had been following this story for months. It was almost like she and Vanessa had become part of peoples live’s. They were famous, albeit not in a way most would strive to be. It seemed clear that it was something they'd need to get used to. “I think you of all people know what the tabloids are like….” Charity started. “They're gona want statements, they're going to want to know everything that happened to you.” Running her hands up and down the blonde's arms she smiled. “It's gona have to happen at some point, but for now we'll just have to try keep our heads down.”

“Wear hat's and glasses?” Vanessa replied.

“That could work” the teacher laughed. “If we are spotted, just be short. Tell them it'll all come out eventually but for now they should respect your privacy.” Vanessa raised an eyebrow. “It's worth a shot” Charity finished, bumping her hip into the blondes.

Sucking in a deep breath, Vanessa gave Charity a quick kiss. “Come on then, sooner we go out, the sooner we'll be back.”

\-------

Later that evening, Vanessa was sitting alone at the dining room table. Charity was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches to their dinner, leaving the blonde to sit with a glass of wine and her thoughts.

The trip into town had certainly been eventful to say the least. Within seconds of them walking into the supermarket, a woman's gasp and excited ramblings at seeing both Charity and Vanessa out doing shopping had sprouted the attention of passer’s by. Soon every corner they turned, every aisle they walked down, shoppers stopped and stared at them. Some came offering words of support, asking to take their picture and some even asking for an autograph.

Still modelling a decent size bruise on her left cheek, Vanessa had been slightly reluctant at first. Part of her understood their excitement. She was someone they could admire….someone who hadn't allowed the bad guys to win. Shoppers revealed how much they admired her bravery at coming out again, for not being forced to stay in hiding.

Though Vanessa was very much the woman everyone wanted to talk to, Charity was not left out of anything. She stood firmly at the blonde’s side the whole time, almost like a bodyguard.

What was meant to be a quick trip to the supermarket had turned into nearly 2 hours of meeting many, many…. _many_ avid supporters. When they'd finally made it home, they'd collapsed on the couch, exhausted from their trip out. They didn't have long to relax however as Cain had turned up within 20 minutes. Tracy and Chas had arrived not long after. Rhona arrived last, bringing with her many presents and cards from her co-workers at Daily Chance. The whole floor had written heartfelt warm wishes to the couple, hoping the reporter felt strong enough to come back to work ASAP.

Vanessa had to admit, she really missed being there. She missed the routine, the atmosphere and more importantly the writing. The last time she'd been in was the day of her attack in the bedroom, nearly 2 weeks ago. Needless to say once she was completely back on her feet again, when she was in the right frame of mind, she'd have _alot_ to write about.

Rhona had half joked that the blonde could write her own book. After everything she'd been though it would make a fascinating read. The writer in her had thought it wouldn't be such a bad idea to entertain at some point in the future.

The afternoon with their friends had made Vanessa feel very much at ease. She'd forgotten how good it felt to have her friends and family around her. Those 3 days in solitary confinement had really gotten to her. She'd prayed nothing like that ever happened again.

By 6pm, Charity had politely escorted their friends from the house. She had a relaxing evening planned for her girlfriend in which their friends we're not featured.

Taking a small mouthful of her wine, Vanessa watched as Charity came into the room, hands grasping 2 generously filled plates. The blonde’s eyes widened at the amount of food covering her plate.

Charity laughed at her girlfriend’s expression. “I figured 3 days with very little food you'd be pretty ravenous.”

Nodding Vanessa let out a small laugh. “It looks great Charity, thank you.”

Setting her own plate down, the teacher made herself comfortable opposite the blonde. She picked up her glass of wine, lifting it in front of her. “I'd like to say a few things before we tuck into our food, babe.” She watched as Vanessa followed her lead, lifting her own glass between them. “Ness, there’s no words that could ever explain how flippin’ happy and relieved I am to have you back. I don't think I need to say it but the last 3 days have been the worst days of my entire life. When you we're taken….” She looked down at the table momentarily to compose herself. “While you we're missing, I was so broken….so, _dead inside_. I had so many scenarios of what was happenin’ to you. None of that compares to what you went through though. I can't help but feel like it's all my fault….”

“Charity, we've been over…”

“No, please Vanessa, let me finish. I made a promise that I wouldn't let anything happen to you again after the attack here the other week. It didn't take long for that promise to be broken.” She stopped, taking a deep breath. “I realise now that it was stupid for me to make that promise to you. No matter how much I want to protect you, or how much I wish I could be with you all the time, I know it's almost impossible for me to do that. If we hadn't gone to that stupid reunion…”

“Charity…” the blonde repeated, this time more firmly as she set her glass down. “Please Charity, I've told you several times now, there is absolutely nothing you could have done to prevent what happened. If it hadn't have been at the reunion it would have happened somewhere else. I know how much you want to protect me because I want to do the exact same for you. You have to understand though, this is _not_ your fault. This isn't my fault. It's the doings of 2 very sick people and you know what, Ross has already gotten what he deserves. It's only a matter of time before the same happens to Cara.” She slid her hand over the teacher's free hand. “And when that happens, our lives, our _relationship_ is going to change dramatically. All for the better. No more worrying, no more upset. It's going to be just you and me, crazy in love.”

Charity's eye's glistened as she looked back at the blonde. Rubbing her thumb over Vanessa's hand she nodded.”'I like the sound of that.”

“Me too” Vanessa responded. “Now if you don't mind, I don't want to even think about the last 3 days for the rest of the night. I want tonight to be about us. I want this to be _our_ night.” Lifting their entwined hands, Vanessa brought them to her lips, placing a soft kiss on Charity’s knuckles.

“I'll drink to that.”

\-------


End file.
